Sweaty palms, a general sense of fear, and surprisingly enough, some excitement. That’s how it felt in the car on my first drive. Learning to drive is actually a crazy thing when you think about it. We are throwing teenagers, some as young as fifteen years old, into motorized vehicles and putting them on the roadways. That’s a lot of faith and trust to put into the hands of someone so young and naive. With that being said, the experience of learning how to drive has lead me to become a more confident and independent person, despite the many challenges I faced along the way. Learning is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, as the acquisition of knowledge or skills through experience, studying, or being taught. There are multiple different …show more content…
I sat down and immediately felt my thighs stick to the leather seats on the steamy July day this drive took place. All of these regrets ran through my head, why didn’t I ask my parents to drive before, why didn’t I bring sunglasses, I think I’m in the wrong place, my instructor isn’t here yet. Soon enough, I spot a bald, middle-aged man walking towards the car with a confident stride. You really do have to be confident to be a driver’s ed instructor. I instantly felt at ease when he began to have a casual conversation with me about life and I totally forgot that I was about to risk both of our lives and drive for the first time.
Mr. Thelen, I soon learned was his name, was probably as nice as they come. He was somewhat boisterous and could probably talk to anyone. I found out he’s a teacher at the junior high school, and taught social studies. He began to quiz me on all things car and driving related. I didn’t feel judgement radiating off him when I got something wrong or couldn’t correctly explain what it meant when the check engine light came on. He would calmly explain it in a way where I could understand and then move on. I finally started the car when he confidently told me I was