'Pot Kettle Black' springs to mind. I wouldn't exactly say that I am the most authoritative person when comes to advising on planning ahead. In fact, the word 'Mañana' was invented especially for me. However, do as I say and not as I do.
Before you can apply for your driving test you have to pass your theory test. There is no way around this. You cannot apply for your driving test in advance of passing your theory. Once you have passed your theory, you have two years to pass your driving test. If you do not pass within the two years, you will have to pass your theory again. Now there are one or two people out there who really struggle with learning to drive, but two years is a very relaxed target. Therefore, you do not have to wait until you are almost ready to take your driving test before you apply for your theory. In fact, I strongly advise that, if you are learning to drive, or are thinking of learning to drive, you should get studying on your theory as soon as possible.
There are two main reasons for this. Hopefully, you will be driving the car from the very first lesson, so it makes sense to know some of the theory from the start (unless you are happy to pay your instructor for more time for him/her to tell you what every single road sign/marking means). The other main reason is that, presumably, you are learning to drive so that you may go out on your own without an instructor/friend/family member sitting next to you. Presumably then, you want to pass your driving test? Ok, now do you want to pay for a lot more lessons than necessary? No? Ok, so do you intend having 20/30/40 lessons then taking a few months off while your instructor waits for you to pass your theory?
Some examples: The very first day I started instructing, in February 2007, my second ever pupil was Reo. She struggled initially, so I (mistakenly) didn't think there was any rush for her to pass her theory. Then, her driving began to really improve and I thought it was time she got her theory out of the way. She kept putting it off and, by the summer, her driving was getting close to test standard. Eventually she took her theory test, but failed. Each lesson I would ask her if she had re-booked her test. "I will." was her usual answer. Meanwhile, she continued paying for her weekly lesson, but reached the point where she could drive with barely any help from me, so she wasn't really getting full value for money. A year after she started learning, I moved to a different area and a different instructor took her on. I bumped into her a few months ago and asked her how she was getting on with her driving (expecting her to tell me that she had passed her test and was loving her freedom). It was a mixture of surprise and disappointment when I learned that she hadn't yet passed her theory and had finally given up with her lessons. The daft thing is that she could drive. She could drive very well. Who knows, maybe one day she will want/need to drive and have to go through it all again, but she could easily have been driving around years ago with just a little more application to passing her theory.
There have been other similar stories. I'm not going to name (any more) names, but I have 'lost' a few pupils because they had learned to drive to a good standard, but never taken their theory. Understandably, they didn't want/need to take endless lessons while we waited for them to pass their theory, so they just drifted away.
The reason I write this is because one of my pupils this morning has yet to take her theory. She started her lessons last autumn and, from time to time, I would ask her how her theory study was going. In late November, when I asked her, she replied "Oh, I just want to get Christmas out the way first." Hmmm, ok. Since Christmas has been and gone I have been gently reminding her that, although her driving is improving quickly, we cannot think about her test until she has passed her theory. Today's lesson went really well and we were both very pleased at her progress. "When did you say your theory test was?" I asked (knowing that she would not have booked it), "Oh....erm....well, I was thinking I just want to get Easter out the way first...."
Perhaps I should give her the benefit of the doubt. It could be that she is a priest and Christmas and Easter are busy times for her. Or it could be that she will join the ranks of those who have spent hundreds, maybe thousands, on driving lessons, and never get round to passing their test because they 'can't find the time' to work on their theory.
lets look at the analysis of this..... why is she putting it off... obviously needs help with it but maybe does not want to ask???
ReplyDeleteJust a thought - throw her a lifeline, its nothing to do with religion!!
The 'priest' bit was supposed to be a joke. But perhaps I could get ask her if she wants me to be more involved with her studying.
ReplyDeleteI usually find that, as long as they know that they can postpone the test if they don't feel ready for it, they are willing to book it a month or so ahead. Then, they have a target to aim for and will usually put the homework in.