Instructor Enrichment Program by Apache Solutions

         Any working instructor can attest, there is a great spectrum of useful coursework that can be undertaken in the realm of instructor development. As we’ve all experienced, there are many amazing shooters who could benefit from putting down the gun for a few weekends to concentrate on instructional methodology. We’ve also seen folks with solid teaching skills who lack the technical skills to legitimize content delivery within this industry. Both of these examples happen often, and it’s incumbent on all of us to expect and model a higher level of commitment to this vital work. 

 

         It has been a couple of decades since I picked up my first NRA instructor certification. I can recall being relatively shocked at what so many folks thought was “ok enough” to call themselves an instructor. This remains the absolute minimum bar in the industry but still the expectation of many an insurance company. Greg Ellifritz is a friend and firearms world mentor of mine, and the first person to answer “Rangemaster” in my discussions with him on legitimately developing as an instructor. As Greg had advised, Rangemaster is the benchmark for working instructors, and getting involved in that community has been nothing short of fantastic. The work required to excel while working through the various levels is challenging, informative, and legitimate. Only made better by the incredible community that comes from this collective shared experience. 

 

         The above programming is the common pathway through which an individual becomes credentialed to teach specific content. For those who truly sought a system to receive an objective evaluation of methods, strengths, and weaknesses as an instructor, a great void has existed. One may be accepted into a mentor/mentee relationship and increase their skillset, but a single mentor still represents a very limited body of experiences, and only one perspective of input. Imagine a program that exposes you to almost 20 industry professionals committed to giving open honest feedback across almost every conceivable metric by which an instructor can be assessed. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could find a program dedicated to the growth of working or emerging instructors who want a mirror to reflect exactly where they should focus and improve. Thanks to our friends at Apache Solutions, from a quiet little town in the North Carolina mountains, just such a program now exists. Apache’s Instructor Enrichment Program formally launched last week. (November 2023) To say this novel course was a success is an understatement. This course is a new standard for anyone calling themselves a firearm instructor!

 

         This three-day course was created by Tim Kelly, Jessie Fletcher, Frank Horvath, and Dan Brady, and supported in development and testing by the entire Apache Solutions cadre. Industry mentors of Tim, Jessie, Frank, and Dan played a huge roll in the program from the beginning through launch as well, but that’s not my story to tell. They’ll make you aware during the course. I should disclose that I am good friends with most of the Apache cadre and knew that they had “something” significant in development. But going into this course I knew nothing more than the title, Instructor Enrichment Program, and that I was interested in real work on this topic. All specifics to this course were kept very quiet. Attending the first offering of this course was an interesting experience as usually one can ask a previous attendee what to expect. No such person existed for this one, so day one many students leaned a little toward the pensive.

 

         Weeks before arriving in Yadkinville, each student’s work began. Each of us was tasked with a scored presentation component that met certain criteria that would be present in any class we ever offered. Along with the assignment Apache provided supporting information on the specific goal in both print and video formats so no one was “in the dark.” Once completed, students were than assigned an in-course presentation component to have prepared. Students were advised of what exact day and whether they’d be presenting in the morning or afternoon. That was helpful as students then didn’t walk around nervous about when they were presenting, thus not concentrating on the tasks at hand. I felt the pre-course work was a positive. It made it abundantly clear that we were participating in something “different.”

 

         The students who assembled for this experience were a unique composition, and I believe the critiques and growth experienced by all was greatly enhanced because of it. 14 students participated. Within the 14 students were 6 women and 8 men with a broad range of ages, geographies, cultures, experience levels, and instructional backgrounds. The student makeup is a huge influence on the experience in this course. I have had no other course where input from my peers was as important. This was shown in many ways throughout the three days and took many forms.

 

         The first way in which the peer-to-peer experience was different was within Apache’s approach to coaching. Many of us are used to a short coaching rotation in our previous instructor development courses, but because this course’s focus is “enrichment” as instructors, students are paired in order to allow a deeper coach/coached experience. Throughout the weekend students are tasked to coach their partners in any possible topic in multiple ways. This was a unique approach, and from a student perspective I found I was much more committed to coaching than I previously ever had been. I also believe I got much more from that experience. 

 

         Another way this experience was completely new, was the student evaluation process. Without giving away too much, each student was tasked with very specific presentations. Upon the completion of the presentation module, all students circled up. It was expected that ALL parties would participate in the feedback loop. Tim could commonly be heard saying “You all get one.” All students were to give direct feedback to the student presenter, be it negative or positive. Once all student input was complete, the presenter could offer one point of self-evaluation, be it positive or negative. At first, as would be expected, this group of 14 strangers had a great deal of trepidation in telling someone something they did wasn’t that good. Saying nice things was easy, and we soon understood, often unhelpful. Trusting in the process, quickly growing closer as a group, and realizing everyone had a truly sincere interest in the successes of others, the group rapidly became comfortable with addressing “uncomfortable truths” in another’s performance. Also, all students benefited from the sincere feedback of others, lowered their defensive tendencies, and took input like a confident professional should. 

 

         All student presentations received the above stated direct verbal feedback in more subjective matters immediately. They also received completely blind feedback on specifically detailed objective metrics, with VERY specific scoring criteria. These peer review measurements were compiled and represented to each student a highly beneficial assessment of where they truly are within their presentation skillset. I won’t go into great detail on the methods Apache uses to provide the critical feedback that every student receives. I will however share that I have NEVER seen this level of data accumulation directly translated to something as understandable AND actionable as is represented in the Evaluation Overview that every student receives. Apache has successfully managed to gain a mountain of usable information from students in the class, to the direct benefit of every student in the class. Every class I’ve ever attended, students talk about themselves and other student’s performance. Apache figured out how to “mine” this vital information for the good of all.

 

         If it’s not apparent that this class represents an immense body of work by the cadre, and comparatively by the students, you should not be surprised that this class is VERY high tempo. Given that the time change just happened, you should not be surprised that these were long days. We watched the sun rise on the range and finished up as it set. Except for about three hours in class day one, the growth happened on the range. Breaks and lost time were kept to a strict minimum. With the caliber of committed students, tempo was maintained and not broken at any point within the three days of work. The instructors clearly knew what they needed to do to accomplish the goal for everyone involved. They intricately interwove points through lessons, exercises, and drills in a way I’d not seen done before. They reminded us often to “keep an open mind” and “trust the process.” 

 

         An interesting note about this process; One that is a specific testimony to the type of progressive work coming out of Apache. Every student knew that they were being evaluated on both their presentation abilities and technical skillset. In an interesting display of professionalism, humility, and a permanent goal towards top performance, Apache was evaluating themselves! They had two of their own specifically removed from the delivery component of the course who sat, watched, and wrote every possible piece of information they could, good or bad, to improve their future delivery. Lynn Givens was also present observing the entirety of the course and will certainly be part of the feedback loop.

 

         A common concern, even preoccupation, in any course specific to instruction is on the idea of “passing.” I fall into that, just like anyone else. I may have been “late to the party” of understanding, but this truly is NOT a pass or fail class. The numbers generated for your consideration, and hopefully action, at the end of this course is your mirror. Yes, some people’s scores at the end may be higher or lower than someone else, but their numbers aren’t relevant to you. Nor yours to them. This class is designed to be taken, processed, and retaken if you’re interested in quantifying improvement. It’s simply about you becoming a better YOU. 

 

         If you’ve read this far it may be obvious that I’m extremely excited about this new program. I have thought a great deal about how to approach this article, finally deciding on unapologetically enthusiastic as my overall tone. It’s not because of a bias towards industry friends. It’s because every person who was at Apache last week doing this important work knows something special was happening. There are watershed moments in every industry, and in the realm of firearms instructor training this was just that. As anyone else would, I look at my training experiences as an individual body of work, having spent many years and a great deal of money, and mental and physical bandwidth to amass. Apache’s Instructor Enrichment Program is a capstone within that body of work. As the numbers of IEP graduates increase over the coming months and years, I look forward to seeing how this course and the people associated with it grow and improve.