Wednesday, February 18, 2015

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.

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