“In the classroom, we need to create a situation that the person sees
how the course contributes to them doing their job better. It’s a bit of a
change of point of view.”
Teaching rewarding for Ayres instructors
Both seasoned and new instructors at Ayres have found benefits to
teaching NHI courses.
“To me, the most rewarding thing about teaching is when you see the
light go on,” Lagasse said. “When someone you know is struggling to
understand some fundamental and you work with them to understand
what they’re struggling with. Then all of the sudden you see their
confidence grow, and you see the light go on, and you share their
enthusiasm.”
Schall said his experience teaching for NHI has been one of the most
rewarding parts of his career.
“This was by far one of
the most useful courses
in my 20-year experience.
Very interactive,
informative, and
dynamic, which increases
information retention.”
– NHI course participant
“I’ve always enjoyed teaching. There’s always a real reward when
you see someone now understanding a concept that they might have
struggled with before,” Schall said. “And I think you have to enjoy it at
that level to be able to do it as we have for almost 30 years now.”
Although Ayres’ history with NHI is long-standing, the company always
stays focused on cultivating its next generation of instructors. Scott
Zey, a hydraulic engineer in Ayres’ Fort Collins office, is currently in the
process of certification, having taught two courses to date. Zey says he
enjoys being able to learn from the participants as much as he enjoys
teaching them.
“I have always enjoyed talking about theories and the ideas behind
what we do. I really have enjoyed being able to discuss these ideas
with people who do what I do in other parts of the country,” Zey said.
“It’s nice to be able to get a wider perspective on how other people are
practicing my craft.”
Melonie Barrington, NHI’s training program manager, said Ayres has
been a successful partner for NHI.
“Working with Ayres has been great. They have a level of
professionalism and technical expertise that brings a unique national
perspective to our course development and instruction,” she said.
“Their national perspective helps state engineers and the hydraulics
community visualize innovative and practical solutions to challenging
problems that exist across the nation.”
Follow this link https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/engineering/hydraulics/
media.cfm to view the training video series and other reference
materials.
26│ TRENDS