Certification program puts teachers to the test

By Mr Patrick Buffett (IMCOM)April 4, 2012

Instructor certification
Staff Sgt. Jermaine Massalene, Staff Sgt. Calvin Avant and Charles Florence hold the associate instructor certificates they received during an awards ceremony Monday at Stever Hall, the Basic Wheel Division building on the Ordnance Campus. A fourth h... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT LEE, Va. (April 4, 2012) -- Earning high marks during a recent accreditation inspection, an instructor development program here has the potential of becoming a standard practice throughout the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command's Advanced Individual Training community.

The program is administered by the U.S. Army Ordnance School's Wheel Maintenance Training Department and the Basic Wheel Division. Assigned instructors are expected to progress through a series of certification levels that demonstrate their ability to teach, learn and, eventually, make improvements to the overall course of instruction itself.

"We have four levels of certification ranging from associate to master instructor," explained Sgt. 1st Class Julius Chatters, the division's chief instructor. "The requirements to achieve each level obviously become more difficult as you move up the ladder, but the thing that I find interesting is how it eventually comes around to you as an instructor giving something back to the course itself through mentorship, making improvements to course materials and even reshaping the program of instruction so it's better than it was before."

To achieve senior instructor certification, for example, the requirements include a minimum of 600 instructional hours, six satisfactory classroom observation ratings on six different subjects, attendance at professional development courses and completion of at least one project that improved a program of instruction, to include creating new visual aids. In addition to 1,000 hours of classroom time and six outstanding observation ratings on six different subjects, master certification requires a board appearance, organizing an educational forum for the division, an action that improves the overall course of instruction, and more.

"It definitely increases the confidence and competency of all the instructors in our division," said Seung Yi, one of two master-certified members of the Basic Wheel Division. "And it means nothing but the best training possible for the AIT students who come to this school. That's really the key point of all this … making sure the Army is providing motivated instructors who are willing to push new ideas that improve the overall training experience for our students."

Despite the many challenges of the certification system, Chatters said he and his fellow instructors are determined to progress as far as they can in the shortest time frame possible. "It's a source of pride," he said. "And I'll admit that there's a healthy level of competition to it as well. Everyone wants that prestige of wearing the next higher-level badge."

Yi credits the success of the program to the current leadership at the Ordnance School. The certification system has been around for many years -- the BWD brought it to Lee when it made the Base Realignment and Closure transition from Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., and opened its doors to students on Sept. 6, 2011, he said.

"The command focus is different here," Yi said. "It's a new era for the Ordnance Corps and this fits that model of providing the best instructors and training in the institutional Army."

"It's that expectation of improving yourself and advancing as a Soldier," Chatters added. "Some eyebrows will be raised if you're here two years and still haven't advanced past the associate instructor level. Those higher expectations are pretty much the same across the Army right now, so it's good to know that we're already setting the pace here at the Ordnance School."