Whether it’s through their school district or through a private company, driver’s education courses are a staple throughout the year for high school students.
The courses are offered in the Brandon and Goodrich school districts and by several private companies. Regardless of the route parents choose to get their teenagers certified to drive, students must go through two segments of driver’s education.
Segment 1, as outlined by the State of Michigan, involves a minimum of 24 hours of class instruction and six hours of road experience, while Segment 2 entails 30 hours of supervised driving time.
At Brandon High School, driver’s education is offered throughout the year, with the cost for Segment I at $175 and Segment II at $40. Currently, the school is offering four sessions of Segment I, with 40-50 students each. Segment II sessions overlap Segment I sessions.
The sessions are taught by Debra McKenzie, a first-year teacher at BHS who took the reins of the school’s driver’s education program after longtime teacher Fred Spain retired.
Brandon High School Principal Dr. Michael Ferguson said students benefit from having driver’s education on-site and taught by a member of the BHS faculty.
‘We believe it’s a convenience for families, and we believe we can do it better (than a private school),? he said.
In Brandon’s Segment I course, students must undergo 30 hours of classroom instruction, 50 hours of driving with parents, and six hours of road time. In the Segment II course, students undergo six hours of additional classroom instruction.
Ferguson, himself a 10-year driver’s education instructor, said students at the BHS course are instructed in all types of driving situations, including parking, expressway, rural and city driving. He said it’s the instructor’s decision on what types of driving situations they place their students in.
‘You make a value judgment on the kids? confidence level,? he said. ‘If a kid is extremely nervous, you don’t put them in stressful situations. I think our instructors have done a good job preparing them.?
Ferguson said he tried to apply those principles when he taught driver’s education, and as a result, he didn’t encounter any scary situations when on the road with students.
Though attending driver’s education classes at the high school is a convenient option, some parents wish to have their students enrolled in a private course. Local options are available to suit that purpose.
Anna Washam, an instructor and co-owner (along with Pete Meysing) at Select Driving School, 252 M-15, Suite B, Ortonville, said the school accommodates up to 36 students per class.
Currently, the school runs two three-week Segment 1 classes, one in the morning and one in the evening, throughout the summer. The school also holds one or two three-day Segment 2 classes each month.
Both Washam and Meysing attended classes at Central Michigan University to become certified in teaching driver’s education. Washam said the school has more to offer than programs offered through local school districts.
‘We offer a more thorough curriculum,? she said. ‘We have the State Department of Education-approved textbooks that we use, and the instructors here attend seminars to update the program.?