oulrledgeis the nameof the game

Instructor creatively guidesresellers toward certification

methods are designed to stimulatecritical thinking and exploration.

"I remember taking things apafi -

eYerFthing from an Etch-A-Sketchwhen I was a little girl to my stereoreceiver when I was in high school. Ireally wanted to see how it allconnected together. I still like to get

my hands dirryJ'

Feihl now spends much of her timeteaching opefating systems forNovell and Microsoft. But she'spartial to equipment classes inwhich students perform tasks suchas dismantling servers to insertEthernet cards andToken Ringtechnology.

"There's something exciting aboutseeing the light bnlb go on when areseller fifst undefstands a conceptwe've been discussing. Sharingknowledge is my favorite part of thejobl'

Troining extensivelyFeihl came to work forTech Dataafter receiving a degree in ElectroMechanics from Pinellas VocationalTechnical Institute. She has earnednumerous vendor certifi cations.including her MCSE, CNI, CNE andMCT.

The training required to gain yendor

certification as an instructor is

quick peek into Julie Feihl'sclassroom reveals her uniqueapproach to high-tech

education. "I'll take'directoryservices'for $200," says one student,his hands careftrlly aligned on thekeyboard."I'm sorry - make that'time slmchronization' for $4OOl'

In true Jeopardy-style fashion, Feihlreads the answer and waits for herstudents to buzz in with thequestion. Far mofe important thanthe Monopoly money the winnersreceive is the knowledge they?egaining.The game show is a reviewfor the upcoming test for vendorcertification, the coveted seal ofapproval that will help eachreseller's business grow.

Feihl, who began her career atTechData as a systems engineer beforebecoming an instructor, says shewants her students to have fun whilethey learn new technologies.Activities such as the game showhelp ease stress and reinforceconcepts that will appear on thecertification exam.

Exploring fechnologyAn instructor in Clearwater for nineyears, Feihl has been inquisitive all ofher life . Since curioslty and problem-

solving skills are essential in today'stechnical wodd, her teaching

extensive, including course work andtesting. In some cases, Feihl mustpresent portions of the course to themanufacturers themselves before sheis authorized to teach the material.

"I have two kids, so I know theimportance of being patient andhaving a good sense of humorthrough all of the testing andteaching. I want my students to walkaway feeling fulfilled and good abouttheir abilities."

Building relotionshipsFeihl's class sizes vary from about 12to 16 students, providing a frequentoppoftunity for one-on-oneinstruction. The relationshipsdeveloped during classes oftenextend well beyond the coufse itself,she noted.

"I see a lot of resellers who havebeen in my eadier classes. I mayteach them on NetVare 4, forexample, and then again when thenext version comes out. It's l/eryrewarding to get e-mail messagesfrom resellers who say,'Hey, you

were right.This really did work inthe field.'I'm proud of the wayresellers have increased theirbusiness because of what theylearned here."

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