Drill Master Vs. Drill Instructor

What is the difference? Is there a difference?
I tend to use the term "Drill Instructor" in my designation of a person who teaches drill to Pathfinders and staff while some older conventions would use "Drill Master". They could be one in the same and I suspect are often taken as such; however, I make a sepcial distinction between the two for clarity sake.

I use the instructor variant because it best implies the work they will be doing: instructing. They are teaching and passing on knowledge. "Master" refers to a position or a level of expertise.... this becomes quite baffling when clubs "promote" staff into the mastery position.

I still use the drill master term but in a different context. I use it in the sense someone would refer to a master of ceremonies. Usually it is a person with a particular expertise or experience to oversee something. In this case, it's drill. The position should be a Conference level position that is responsible for the conduct of drill and ceremonies in the area. They would set rules and conference convention, oversee drill competitions and their SOP, and ensure the spirit of drill and Pathfindering continues. Some would call it an administrative position.

While the two terms are closely related, they are different things in my book. Staff should be distinctly proud of being called a Drill Instructor because it represents a great deal of training, learning, and experience.

PS: I also use the term "people who teach drill" to refer to the idiots who damage Pathfinders because they "teach" inappropriately. They are the people who sour Pathfinders and staff on drill for whatever reason and by whatever process. They do not deserve a title and little more recognition than is needed to serve as a warning for others and another sad story of potential squandered.

Tell the Story

There are three things that should go hand in hand for a well rounded staff member. Or rather to say, three titles, or roles, that describe them. These are: Leader, Mentor, and Teacher. Each one rolls seamlessly into the other while maintaining a distinct difference. Leaders are often mentors. Teachers are a de facto leader of their class. Mentors are involved with teaching something in some way.

In the higher levels of Pathfinder Education, instructors are faced with the challenge of teaching abstract ideas in a way that can be remembered. I have sat though many a class where the instructor might as have been reading from the dictionary. There was a lot of information and concept, but very little learning. We must be constantly vigilant against falling into these easy traps (I have done it).

Here is a key: Stories. Even better if they are your own. Use them as parables. Ever wonder why Jesus used the technique to teach somewhat abstract concepts that are hard to explain without examples? It's because stories give gravity to the concepts they convey. Stories create more than just an audio presentation. They become real and physical. Confucius said: "Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I will remember, Let me do and I understand." Maybe we cannot always get to that point of understanding..... that comes with experience. But we can always at least get to the showing part. Stories do not simply tell something; they show it too. Listeners will form the mental picture, recreate the emotions, feel the sensations and will remember.

Here is the trick: Making a story effectively convey all those elements to make a story come to life in another person's mind. How do you do that? I can't tell you. Each of us is unique in our experience. Read a few good books, listen to a few good storytellers (audio books are great for this). Pick out the devices that make you want to keep listening, learn them, and apply them to your stories.

We all remember that person who could sit with your pathfinder club around a campfire and, somehow mystically, enthrall everyone with story after story about wild adventures, comedic happenings, or heavy moments. Want to be like them? There's nothing stopping you.