As the first Army Reserve Soldier to earn the Evaluating Instructors Course certification in the Ordnance branch, Sgt. 1st Class Jessica Choate, 3rd Brigade 94th Training Division is now qualified to train fellow instructors to become "instructor evaluators."
Instructor evaluators are instructors who are certified to evaluate their peers in accordance with U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command guidelines.
Choate conducted her first training session at Regional Training Site-Maintenance Fort Devens, Mass., April 26-27, 2016. She's qualified to train instructors in any career field across the 80th Training Command, which is the higher headquarters of the 94th TD.
"It doesn't matter who they are, what rank they are, I can teach them and mentor them on how to...properly evaluate an instructor," said Choate, a Mechanical Maintenance Supervisor who's been a Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic Course instructor for four years.
She earned the EIC certification by enduring a three step process managed by U.S. Army TRADOC. First she passed the EIC, which is the course she now teaches, then she worked as an assistant instructor before teaching the EIC as a final test.
Master Sgt. Scott Shockley, the 3rd Brigade 94th Training Division course manager, recommended Choate for the certification due to her work ethic while she was a fulltime Reserve Soldier working as the operations noncommissioned officer at RTS-M, Fort Devens.
"You never had to contact her for reports that were due," Shockley said. "It was always on time and it was always the right product."
Choate is now a part-time Soldier, and Shockley said she's just as involved with brigade matters as she was as a fulltime Soldier.
"We hold several instructional working groups in the evenings via conference call and she's never missed one," Shockley said. "I think that says a lot about a Soldier when they take free time...to help...the brigade."
"That was the turning point...that made me realize she would be a great selection for the EIC certification," Shockley added.
Master Sgt. ElsI Inoa-Santos, the U.S. Army TRADOC Instructor Recognition Development Program manager, said Choate's certification is a significant step forward in the enhancement of instructor development across the 80th TD.
"They [the 80th TC leaders] are making sure that they properly develop their instructors," Inoa-Santos said. "She's the first, and that's great, but the most important part is that it's for the Soldiers."
Related Links:
Official Website, 80th Training Command (TASS)
Official Twitter site, 80th Training Command (TASS)
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