Keep your momentum!
Learning in a manual requires a certain amount of natural motion skills. Some learners who have never ridden a bicycle or whose parents never owned a car ought to first learn basic physics. A student lacking any feeling from the car can be very frustrating as the following story (fictional) shows:
The client was from overseas. She fell into this, shall we call it "spoon feeding" category, the one you have to explain everything to:
"You need reverse gear, if you are facing a brick wall and want to move."
"To change gears you need to take one hand off the steering wheel."
"When I say brake, it does not mean stop dead instantly."
"Yes, I know I said – straight ahead at the roundabout, but…"
We rolled slowly towards a T-junction. "Keep your momentum," I said. The road seemed clear, but we could not yet see into the side road. Momentum didn’t obviously mean anything to her. We driving instructors first ought to get a degree as a physics teacher.
I tried to explain it with a picture – "You know, speed kills, but learners also kill speed!" I could read her blank mind: What has killing got to do with it?
So a little further along I said (more to myself in frustration): "At the junction back there we lost our momentum."
"Shall I do a U-Turn a pick it up?" she asked.
"No, no, no just keep going," I need a little space to clear my head, I was thinking.
I asked myself, why I can I put up with this for 22 years and say I enjoy it? I must be queer!
To relieve frustration and to clear my head I find humour to be the best medicine.
I played with the phrase – keep your momentum. I made up slogans:
Keep your momentum - we suggest you have it framed.
Keep your momentum - in case you want a refund.
Keep your momentum - it’s an endangered species.
Keep your momentum - it may be an antique one day.
Keep your momentum - you seem to hang on to all other trash.
Keep your momentum - If you don’t, who will?
Keep your momentum - the auditor may come and inspect it.
Seven little smiles to get over the irritation. "Please stop at the kerb for a moment and I explain ‘keeping momentum’. It’s like a hill start without actually stopping, without the handbrake. While you are rolling forward, you can’t roll backwards! Let’s try it."
We drive to a quite side road and I direct her to almost stop in second gear. While we are still rolling, ("can you see, we are still moving, we are keeping up our momentum?") I ask her to engage first gear, apply a little power and engage the clutch to drive off again. "Well done!" She has learned something, everyone’s happy again. I didn’t need a physics degree after all.
The front page headline in the newspaper next day will confuse her:
"Peace protesters keep up their momentum."
Patient driving instructors are not an endangered species. If we can't teach them, who will?