Here at the RYA we always try to make you feel appreciated for the great job you do for your students. However, if youve ever wondered whether your students really appreciate you, read on

Margaret Norris won this years Senior Instructor of the Year Award following a nomination from Hengistbury Head Centre in Dorset. On hearing the news, she wrote to us with a bit more background on her experiences in sailing here is an extract from her letter.

I was down at the Hengistbury Head Centre helping a teacher friend keep his school children in order whilst he was teaching them to sail. Having launched the last boat, he pulled over a Topper and told me to hop in. Id been listening to his instructions, but at the age of 42 and never having stepped foot in a sailing dinghy before, I didnt feel at all prepared! Predictably I capsized, but from that moment on I was hooked.

I started volunteering in my spare time on RYA courses at weekends and in school holidays. With lots of help, sound advice and buckets of encouragement from the centre staff, I eventually became an assistant instructor, got my instructor certificate at 50 and my senior instructor certificate at 55. Learning to sail has literally changed my life.

The enjoyment, the sense of achievement and confidence Ive gained has changed me personally beyond recognition. With the SI qualification under my belt, I gave up my full time job and became a self-employed instructor. Teaching sailing came late to me but Ive definitely found my niche in life at long last! I will always be grateful for the high quality training I received from the centre staff because I am now passing that onto others.

Our job as instructors is a diverse one, being welcoming and encouraging and having the ability to see potential in students who very often dont see it themselves. What is certain is that a good instructor makes the difference between a good and bad experience on the water.

What do I enjoy most about instructing? Passing on my passion for sailing to others. I tell them that if I can do it, then they certainly can. Seeing people feel good about themselves for mastering their fears and watching their happy expressions when they realise they really can sail is enough to make me feel BRILLIANT! Who knows, maybe their lives will change for the better as a result, as mine did.