Driver’s Ed Teachers: Nerves Of Steel, Buckets Of Sweat.

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00:00Drivers ed teachers, nerves of steel, buckets of sweat.

00:04In Ohio during the 80s, there were only three ways someone under 18 could legally get their driver's license.

00:11The first way was to actually turn 18, which gave you the right to enter any examination center and schedule a driving test.

00:19For a lot of us 16-year-olds, however, this was a frustrating example of delayed gratification.

00:25We wanted to drive to the mall, and we wanted to drive now.

00:29A mere permit wasn't going to cut it anymore.

00:32The second option was to enroll in what we half-jokingly called a crash course.

00:36For a fee, local stores such as Sears or Montgomery Ward offered four-day driving classes, with the caret of a required certificate at the end.

00:45The local insult hurled at any driver who committed an act of stupidity became,

00:50Where did you learn to drive, Sears? It got the job done, but at what cost?

00:55Finally, there was the more affordable 18-week drivers ed course in high school.

01:01My instructor was an avid cyclist, and he would remind us daily that he was training us to drive on the same roads he used.

01:09He also called the permits death certificates, and we weren't allowed to thank him.

01:14Considering how some of my own practice sessions went, I can't say I blame him.