I paid around $650 dollars and was assigned Maria as an instructor and for teaching driving for 40+…read moreyears she has issues keeping her temper, a superiority complex, and will disregard what you think and feel if it does not match up with how she thinks.
I am a brand new driver, and for the first few classes she would critique how I would break, when I would accelerate, and often not consider if she has made sure a new driver was sitting correctly in the seat to drive properly. The reason I was not breaking and driving properly? The steering wheel was too close to my legs. After her critiquing that 3-4 classes she finally realized I guess that maybe this new driver cannot hit the petals right because the wheel is too low (why I didn't realize that, idk- maybe cause I am new?) Maybe she only considered if it was right for *her*... But, that is a simple issue on top of the many others; that can be fixed.
The irony is that I was told to study the rules of the road in terms of the law, but when I am told to do things on the road that are not actual rules of the road I am just told I am wrong, that she is right cause she has been teaching for 40+ years, and that I need to do what she says.This reflects on the very first thing she said to me which was 'if I tell you to do something, don't think- just do'. Her reasoning before was to get us out of a sticky situation, but in retrospect I consider that very dictator-like behavior, and a mental complex that will again undermine what I have to think in place of hers.
In spite of her ill-tempered behavior and karen-isms, I actually enjoyed the advice she was giving me as well as the actual rules of the road; again, i take what she tells me as advice, because ultimately it should be up to you, the driver, to dictate what you are doing is right or wrong. I posed the question to her consistently that if it isn't illegal, and what I am doing is not unsafe, is it wrong?
I am told I am arrogant and disrespectful for asking questions on what she is telling me (perhaps the way i said it was, but i also don't care lol). For instance, if I am driving on a street with two lanes on your side she tells me I should only be on one side and that driving on the other is wrong- when neither have indicators or laws that tell me I have to- so I asked, "Well, why?" and I guess she doesn't like it when you question her judgement because after explaining that often you want to free up a lane for turning drivers I ask "Well, do I legally have to stay on this side of the road, yes or no?" and her answer is no. Okay, well you told me to study the rules of the road; I know what I am doing is not illegal. So then how is me being on the other side of the road 'wrong'? She says that there are 'legal rules that are not written down'.... What???
What is also wrong is contradicting yourself. When she decided to bring up an argument we had last class in a future class, she said that "actually, are rules that say you legally have to be on 'this' lane in the road... But, when i asked you last class if I legally have to be on this side of the road you said (on video) no... So, Im now getting confused and this is not helping me drive I am being told I am in the wrong lane, but then you say its not illegal, but then you say actually it is.
There is many other examples; like her telling me to not look at people when I am driving, her telling me that once you are done with your test that if you wanna speed a bit over the speeding limit is okay (when, it is actually illegal), on top of others. Then, in her heat of rage she will just kick you out of the car. Like me lol
I believe there is a way to teach where you do not belittle a student, which is why I give the supposed 'best teacher there' a low ranking because I fail to understand how a good teacher can be so when the thoughts of the student are undermined.
So yes Maria, you are a bad teacher. You can teach for 40+ years and be doing things wrong- that is something that can happen lol And I hope going forward you can teach without belittling. This is not to per say encourage people to not have her- but don't expect to be heard