JFSinIL Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 ds is at public school. He is in Driver's Ed this semester. He just came home and said that 1. he is int he group that starts driving Tuesday...and the teacher does NOT want it to be the student's first time behind the wheel! Teacher wants the parents to take the novice drivers out this weekend (in the ice and pot-holed roads, at that) to get some time in behind the wheel BEFORE the class driving begins. Excuse me? i am paying the extra $300 for driver's ed at school so the kid can learn in the car that has dual controls, with a trained instructor. Like heck am I letting a first-time driver behind the wheel of our only car...we do NOT have dual controls, duh! Is it just me or is this insane???? I might add - the simulators at school are not working, either, so the kids have really had NO behind the wheel time at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne in Hawaii Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 It's required here in Hawaii, and it's about $300 for us, too. He has been driving some with his dad, though. They started slowly in our neighborhood (not a lot of traffic) and in parking lots, and they've worked up from there. I'm actually glad he's had a little experience before he starts the class. That said, he's only driven with his dad. I'm not brave enough! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GothicGyrl Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 Wow--how times have changed--I never paid for my driver's ed, not one cent!! :) But yes, it is normal for them to ask the parents to help out a bit, in fact, ours sent home a note asking parents to allow us to drive around the block a few times just to get used to being behind the wheel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted February 13, 2008 Author Share Posted February 13, 2008 Well, since we JUST paid off our 9-yr-old van - our only vehicle...I'm afraid the SCHOOL can be the first to deal with putting the kid behind the wheel. They do have the dual-control cars! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 In light of your current weather and road conditions there, it seems to me that they should wait just a little before starting this. Would a week or so hurt? Try to get the simulators repaired, etc.? Geesh..... Regena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy in Indy Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 I'd be ticked if I paid that much for driver's ed and they wanted YOU to take them out. That said, I've now taken two teens out for their first drive and survived the experience as has our vehicle. I'd probably find an empty, snow-plowed parking lot this weekend and let your son "drive." (We always start in a parking lot circling slowly...as in little or no accelerator.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jann in TX Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 My first experience of driving a car was in my Driver's Ed class.. I was HUMILIATED! I was expected to know the basics of how to start a car and put it into gear. The instructor thougth I was being 'funny' and made a rude comment before he realized in horror that I DID NOT KNOW HOW TO START A CAR! Please, at least let your son drive in a parking lot. I've started my dd's driving--and it really was not that bad. Just choose a parking lot that does not have any lightposts! I would not go as far as letting him drive on streets--but at least give him a chance (especially being a BOY) to survive the first day of driving in class. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in IL Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 of driving. While we went the driving school route and until the week before class, he had never been behind the wheel. A friend told me to have him practice in the cemetery. No traffic, winding roads to learn the feel of steering, not many if any obstructions, etc. We did that a few times before he started class. While he was still terrified, he at least had some knowledge of how to drive. He said it did help him. Another thing we did was take him to a parking lot that had not been plowed and had him slam on the brakes to show him what the anti-lock brakes felt like. We also tried see if he could get into a skid and know how that felt and what to do. Good luck!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwen in TX Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 I too was humiliated when I got behind the wheel of the driver's ed car and knew nothing! My partner had been driving for a while, and looked good doing it. He even knew how to turn on the lights and wipers. It affected my grade, because the instructor compared us the entire time and gave me a B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwen in VA Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 My parents didn't trust the drivers' ed folks, so I was VERY comfortable driving a stick shift before I set foot in the driver's ed car. The driver's ed car was about twice as big as my family's VW Bug and had assisted breaks, so even though I was great at steering the car I kept on slamming on the breaks and totally freaking out the instructor! In Virginia homeschoolers are allowed to do the behind-the-wheel portion of driver's ed themselves, so I taught both my older ones to drive single-handedly. If we didn't have a strong relationship before the driving, the driver's ed might have absolutely killed our family! :rolleyes: The funniest driver's ed story -- a friend of mine in high school actually got into an accident in driver's ed. He drove too near the center line and got into a head-on. Everyone was okay, and he went on to attend Yale, but I still laugh at the idea of the National Honor Society kid ploughing a driver's ed car into another innocent car! I am amazed that the folks in your state don't put driver's ed on hold given the road conditions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted February 14, 2008 Author Share Posted February 14, 2008 to the local hobby Lobby lot (since they are closed Sundays!)...and maybe a turn or two around the old winding cemetary roads as well :rolleyes: How much damage can a few tombstones do to a van?:eek: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelli in TN Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 Oh, driver's ed. shudder. Since only one of ours has gone away to school, we have had to teach driver's ed to to two kids so far. I am already considering seeing if I can find someone to teach the next one coming up!! I would pay big bucks if someone would just do it for me. We have no driving schools and homeschooled students are not welcome in our local school district. I do the book work and make my husband do the driving part. I am just to panicky to be any good. Actually, with my most recent driver, her big brother took her out a lot. He is calmer than me and calmer than my husband. Our one daughter did take driver's ed at school, but the driving portion did not come close to the state requirements for number of hours behind the wheel. So it was a bit of a waste of money, really. My husband still had to take her out driving. But it did get us the teeny-tiny insurance discount. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhondabee Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 Personally, I can't imagine what Driver's Ed would have been like if I hadn't *already* known how to drive. It just seems like the instructor would be able to free up time to teach more "in traffic and potentially disastrous situation" skills if the basics were already mastered. Given the horrendous traffic in Atlanta, I would want my dc's "driver's ed" to be simply icing on the cake over and above what we've taught at home. Different strokes, I guess~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 We have to have 40 hours of driving time with parents before licensing--and 10 hours has to be at night. Because we don't have time to take ds out that much, we have to pay for 14 hours of driving instruction on top of the 40 hours--to the tune of $347. That's on top of the $99 it took to pay for the classroom portion of his driver's ed. I'm so sick of the money these kids cost. But I want him to be safe, and he needs to know how to drive. I'd take yours out as much as you can, first to parking lots and then to quiet streets. Practice pulling in and out of parking spaces, driveways, and such, and teach him to look "left, right, left" before pulling out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhondabee Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 I am just praying we get a red-light at the subdivision entrance in the next two years! That two-lane state highway that was so deserted five years ago is now scary-crowded with traffic, but that doesn't seem to influence anyone to slow down. =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
74Heaven Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I totally agree with everyone. It is nerve-wracking enough without the driver's ed car being the first driving experience. Definitely get the student out in the car as much as possible before the first driver's ed driving session. Even 30min in the garage going over the controls and engine-starting, etc. would be better then nothing. We can do this! We're homeschoolers :) lisaj, who had many scary drives with learning-permit-dtr last summer :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kris Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Wow -- we *were* spoiled brats! We had a "course" to drive on -- with a fake little town and everything, before we ever hit the highway. And no $300 fee, either. The first time I drove with my folks was when my Dad took me to get my license. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
readwithem Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 wow that's nuts. We're using Drivers Ed in a Box, and going very slowly. My dd spent a year driving in an empty parking lot (local cc) on Saturday afternoons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beansprouts Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 My first experience of driving a car was in my Driver's Ed class.. I was HUMILIATED! I was expected to know the basics of how to start a car and put it into gear. The instructor thougth I was being 'funny' and made a rude comment before he realized in horror that I DID NOT KNOW HOW TO START A CAR! My experience was similar. I was the only one in my class who had *no* driving experience before getting into the driver's ed car. As a result I was SO nervous and teacher and the other kids gave me a hard time and the experience was just miserable. I do not blame my parents for this though - who would guess that kids were expected to come to driver's ed already knowing how to drive?? Anyways, I do like the suggestion of just taking the child to an empty parking lot and letting him get the feel for it with you by his side, before adding the social stress of a more judgemental audience. And God Bless You!! I am really not sure I EVER want to see my kids driving... :eek: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 No Drivers Ed for me. My mom taught me in a cow pasture. I don't see what the big deal is about teaching your own kids to drive...no way I would pay $300 extra unless it was going to 'pay for itself' in lower insurance rates. My dh was actually intoxicated in drivers ed once... unexpectedly turns out it was his day to drive. He thinks the instructor didn't know...but really how could you not know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2boys Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I learned to drive at the fairgrounds for the same reason as the cemetary someone mentioned - roads with curves and turns, but no traffic. At the time we only had a small car with no power steering or power brakes, and a full-size van. But after driving those two, the drivers' ed car was a cinch. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Only me Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 I can understand practicing in park lots, etc. but I don't know how so many kids have experience driving on the road before driver's ed. I can't believe how many parents let their kids drive before they have their permit. I just signed my dd up for driver's ed for the summer and they said that she would't have her permit until the end of the first week of the classroom portion. She has 4 weeks of classroom portion and then they schedule the behind the wheel time separately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 You get your permit first and then you practice on the road. The permit is given after a written test. After you drive with a parent for a while (or until you turn 16) you go back and do the actual driving test portion for a license. I wouldn't let my kid drive without a permit either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmgconner Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 JFS - how did your DS do yesterday? Hope all went well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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