Got my slightly-used copy of "The Flight Instructor's Manual" (3rd edition)
in the mail on Saturday based on recommendations here. $13 including
shipping.

Just want to say THANKS to everybody who recommended it. I'm pretty sure
my wife is tired of me telling her what a fantastically useful
and -inspiring- book it's turning out to be.

The FAA and ASA books tell you that Rote Memorization is the least useful
method of learning and that the best form involves putting the learned
knowledge into useful context; and then give you a bunch of uninspiring FOI
psychobabble, FARs, test questions and almost-rote answers. So basically
they're doing what they're teaching you not to do.

By comparison, Kershner starts with, in capital letters: "THE FLIGHT
INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE ISSUED."
He explains why, and then very quickly begins telling the reader about how
the fundamentals of instruction apply to teaching people how to fly
airplanes.
Within a matter of a couple of pages he has you thinking about instructing
and before long it's as if you can hear the engine and the wind and you can
smell the fuel and exhaust. This is not a book about theories and
regulations, but how to teach people to fly.

I don't feel like I'm memorizing a textbook. I feel like I'm listening to
some well-seasoned master flight instructor or coach describe to me what's
going to happen and how to maximize my effectiveness at accomplishing
esteemable, rewarding and critical tasks. This book probably won't help me
pass the FOI or CFI written exams, but as a reader I don't care; he teaches
about flying, flight instruction and he does something that the other books
have completely failed at so far, which is inspiring the reader to go out
and master aviation and instruction.

Outstanding! Thanks again, everybody!

-c