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Rita Spaulding and I taught again today. This time we had a new, to us, DE instructor named Jack Carter and were over in Knightdale. We had a total of 33 students based on the class pic. and the returned feedback forms. This brings our total students taught for this year to 241. We also tried something a little different by giving our presentation earlier in the day. Seems to have worked out good. We got there about 9:00 am instead of our usual end of the class time, which is about 1:00 to 2:00. It gave the class a good break and also let us both just go in a little late to work instead of splitting our workday. The students still got to come out and see the bikes afterwards and had lots of questions. Once again the portable DVD dominates!! Had a TV in place with the jacks on the front...plug and play. In case you can't tell I have been really pleased with the way the DVD player has been working for us, and it can be carried on anybodys bike.
On the feedback form we have the students fill out, the last question is "What information presented to you today will help you the most to be a safer driver?". This is always where we hear the most interesting comments. I think one student today said it all, short and sweet. Her comment to this question was simply "How easily you can hit someone".
Ride Safe
Tommy Sherbert
Raleigh Chapter CBA/ABATE
MSAP Coordinator
If you can read this, thank a teacher.
If you are reading it in English,THANK A VETERAN!!
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It has been a great week for MSAP and The Raleigh Chapter of the CBA/ABATE of NC. If you notice the date of our last update, we taught our last class only yesterday!! There were 40 students that day. Today we got another shot in Southwest Raleigh and had 48 future drivers in this class. I still can't believe we forgot the class picture!! I wish we could reach this many students every week! We all have jobs to deal with also, or at least I do. Todays DE instructor was Sharon Kent and is actually the wife of the instructor from our last class. The portable DVD player worked out best, again. When we got to the class they had a projector set up with a huge screen. All we had to do is plug into that and we were ready to go. I always have to wonder before each class what kind of equipment we will have to work with, sometimes the DE instructors aren't even sure. We can teach straight from the book and sometimes it seems even easier but I think the visual adds to the presentation, especially the videos.
It was a good class of students and we took the time to dress one out in all the riding gear this time. Helmet, Chaps, Jacket and Gloves. While they were not exactly his size, I think the class liked it and it did make a point. As always it's really good to go back over the feedback forms we have the students fill out. Some of the comments we get the most are always about how they didn't really think about looking for bikes and smaller road users. We also hear about the numbers of bikers injured and about the protective clothes we wear. Hopefully these things will stick in their brains when they actually start driving.
On a personal note, my wonderful wife actually got to meet Rita and me at the class and see how this works with a class full of students. I was glad she had the chance to see it. Who knows, might get her in there teaching too. We'll see.
Ride Safe
Tommy Sherbert
Raleigh Chapter CBA/ABATE
MSAP Coordinator
 
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MSAP Update 06/05/07
Today Bill Johnson and I got another opportunity to give our MSAP presentation to some "future drivers". We were up in N. Raleigh and had 40 students!! The DE instructor was Lynn Kent from JDS. He also teaches at Panther Creek. We had actually met his wife at the DE Convention in April. She too is a DE instructor, and tomorrow we are off again to give our presentation to one of her classes. The students were great and we got a good amount of questions and general participation. We had a good "Jump" out of the Sunny Day part of the presentation.They did get the chance to come out after class and look at our bikes and ask a few more questions. Sometimes this is the best part.
Needless to say, we are in demand and need to get some more instructors trained. If you are a CBA/ABATE member I hope you will consider helping out. If you're not, we still need the help. The more instructors we have, the less of a burden it will be for any one person. I think you will find it very rewarding. From some of the feedback forms we get, the students do seem to be getting the message. Hopefully it will stick with them forever. The most common responses we get are ones telling us they didn't realize how many bikers were killed or injured along with not realizing how often the bike is not seen. Also they say they will do more to "look for bikes". What more can you ask for?
Ride Safe
Tommy Sherbert
Raleigh Chapter CBA/ABATE
MSAP Coordinator
If you can read this, thank a teacher.
If you are reading it in English,THANK A VETERAN!!
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Hello, Just wanted to let everyone know about todays class. It went great! Rita Spaulding and I taught in Wake Forest. This is a very nice facility, complete with stage, drop down screen and a really nice sound room located in the rear of the room. This did pose a bit of an issue. If we were up in front of the class, we couldn't play and pause the DVD. Linda St.Clair our Jordan Driving School DE instructor did her best to try and keep up this part. Linda will tell you she is "Technology Challenged", but it seemed to get done. This is the third class we have presented since buying the "Zoombox" and have yet to be able to use it for one reason or another. This was also Rita's first class, and to tell the truth, I think she was a lot more "comfortable" than I was, Hats off to Rita!! Graeat job!! She gets her patch at the next meeting! There were about 42 students in todays class!! Usually our classes have been around 25 ! We also had a few guests, Sgt. Mark Brown with the NCHP. Mark and I have corresponded by e-mail several times. Mark has shown some interest in teaching with us. He is an avid motorcyclist, a MSF instructor and also teaches motorcycle training for the NCHP. Hopefully he will be able to make the next CBA meeting ( at Buffalo Bros.). The NCHP is also getting money from the Govenor's Highway Safety Program. Mark was unsure if the NCHP will use it to do anything like MSAP. This brings me to our next guest, John D. Stokes. John is with the NC Govenor's Highway Safety Program. He also has been riding for about 30 years I think he said. He and Dave Galloway are good friends and ride together. Both Mark and John thought the MSAP presentation was a good thing. John did say that the State of NC is going to be "standardizing" the teaching curriculum for DE in NC. I told him thats ok, it will take them years to do this, in the mean time we can try and save some lives!
On the upcoming events side, there will be a Convention for Driver Ed teachers in Raleigh on April 20 & 21, just before our next scheduled class. MSAP will actually have a booth set up there. Matt Shamblin and Jim Barker are coming for this event. This will give us the opportunity to meet and greet with some of the Wake Co. and surrounding county Driver Ed Instructors. Hopefully this will get us in the door with Wake County Schools. Linda said she knows a bunch of them and will be glad to introduce us. I have about 5 people waiting for training to become MSAP instructors. Hopefully they will still be interested after they do a couple of classes. As a chapter, we all need to be doing this program. It takes very little time and is a fun experience. Not to mention, it may save your life or someone you know. All our classes so far have been in the middle of the day. This will probably change when we start teaching it in the public schools. Not really sure of their DE schedules. The more instructors we have, the more we can spread out the load and reach more future cagers. Please consider it and let me, Bill Johnson or Matt Shamblin know if you have any questions.Thanks.
All in all, today was well received and not to mention....WHAT A DAY TO HAVE TO RIDE OUT TO WAKE FOREST, HAD TO BE 73 DEGREES!!!
Have a GREAT DAY!!!
Tommy Sherbert
If you can read this, thank a teacher.
If you are reading it in English,THANK A VETERAN!!
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MSAP Update. 04/23/07.
For the last couple of days I have been inside, at the North Raleigh Hilton to be exact. Not a good thing if you remember how pretty it has been outside Friday and Saturday.The good part is I think I/we have been productive. Only time will tell. Our State CBA/ABATE Director of Safety and Awareness Matt Shamblin, along with his friend and MSAP teaching buddy Jim Barker, came up to Raleigh this past Thursday night for the Driver Education Convention. This is a state wide convention for those who teach driver education. Matt had asked me if I would be interested in helping with a table. We both thought it would be a good place to make some contacts with local DE instructors and help the Raleigh chapter get MSAP into more schools. We met a lot of DE instructors from all over the state and a few that teach in the Wake Co. school system. They all seem to like the idea of what we are trying to do with MSAP. We had several ask if this was available in their area. It makes you realize how much of our state we don't have any presenters in. Matt was able to guide some of them to a local CBA/ABATE chapter that is active in MSAP. We tried to let others know that hopefully by the end of the year or early next year, we can have this as a stand alone presentation that we can give to them and they give to their students. Obviously it's a big State and we have a lot of ground to try and cover.
Bill Johnson and Rita Spaulding also helped man / woman the presentation table Friday and Saturday. Marie Hoover joined us Friday night and we headed out to eat at the Outback steakhouse for dinner. It was good to just sit back and enjoy good friends and good food. It was great to have Matt and Jim up for the weekend, even if it was mostly spent inside.
Ride Safe, Tommy Sherbert
Raleigh Chapter CBA/ABATE
MSAP Coordinator
FREEDOM IS NOT A SPECTATORS SPORT
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Marie and Paula's first class as Instructors. Great job ladies!!
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Raleigh MSAP's as well as Tommy & Bill's first class. Finally in the classroom!!!
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| MSAP Archive |
MSAP Update. 04/24/07. Today we had another successful class. Rita and I had 28 students in the class. I think one evaded the class picture. It was a little tough getting some responses out of the students but we did get some participation. A couple of students actually had more questions and comments after the presentation while looking at the pictures and when we went outside to look at the bikes. Rita came from work and had to cage it to class. Sometimes you have to do that. I was able to ride as was our guest John Stauber, so there were two different types of bikes the students could see up close. John is one of the MSF rider coaches at Wake Tech. I invited him to come check out the class and see if he would be interested in becoming an instructor. Sounds as though he will. That would be great. We need more instructors!!!
As usual we had our own "technical difficulties". Every classroom has different equipment so there is always a little bit of that. I had picked up a new portable DVD player (WITH A REMOTE!!!) earlier today. It was about $80.00 after rebate and I was able to find a very compact case for $13.00. I did get a chance to go by the house and try it out before class. Once we found the proper channel and settings for the TV in the classroom, we were able to hook up the line out on the DVD to the TV and use our DVD player (AND REMOTE!!). I think it made the presentation much easier. It's so compact that anyone can transport it to a class, even if you're not a "Bagger" rider. I think it will be nice for all the instructors to only have to master one piece of equipment and remote. So far we still have not been able to use our "Zoombox".
As usual a big "Thank you" needs to go to our Jordan Driving School Instructor Linda St.Clair. Linda also rides and is gracious enough to let us come and give this presentation to her students. To date that makes 120 future drivers who have seen our program. It is my hope that will be 120 people who will always "Look For Bikes". The feedback forms we get back from the students indicate they are listening to our message. Today one students feedback sheet said she will look for bikes and help her mom or whoever is driving look for them also. Let's all hope she keeps that mind set.
Thanks and ride safe, Tommy
FREEDOM IS NOT A SPECTATORS SPORT
GET INVOLVED.
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