Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1956-01-05
BY Dorothy B. WaIeski
Staff Reporter

teacher in Montgomery County's
driver education program?
Chances are that no one in the
County will be able TO give the
correct answer to this one.
Teaching the young and mex
perienced to drive might be con-
sidered a fairly dangerous occu-
patton but, according to Mont
gomery Blair's Mrs. Cissie San
born, Marylands only woman
driving teacher, she suffers most
from damaged stockings!
This doesn't apply, of course,
TO the County's nine men teach
ers. For them it's the seats of
their trousers that get the most
wear and tear!
Once you've heard the explana-
ton you wonder why you didn't
think of it before. It's the ne
cessity of sliding in and out of
the drivers seat, which Mrs. San.
born estimates at 10 times an
hour at least.
Montgomery Blair First
This little-known fact came to
light this week when the Sen
tinel interviewed Mrs. Sanborn
and Daryl w. Shaw, principal of
Montgomery Blair, where the or
iginal driver training program
was started in the fall of 1916.
This school, with SO students
enrolled this semester, has the
largest program in the County
school system and is the only one
with two full time instructors
Robert F. Mcguire, Blair's other
driver teacher, has been with the
program since 1947.
Mrs. Sanborn, who came here
IN 1852 from Howard County
where She. started the driver edu
cation program there, is fully
qualified to teach this course in
spite of the fact that there is
no school closely that gives a
complete education course in
driving and safety.
She has had to pick up her
credits from all over the country
including the Universities of
Maryland, Texas, Columbia, Penn
State, and Rutgers. She is also
president of the Driver Education
Teachers Association of Mary
land.
1856 in Course
The present Countrywide pic.
ture of driver education shows
9 total of 1886 pupils enrolled. In
addition to Montgomery Blair
there are AZ at Sherwood with
one teacher for six periods a
day; Bethesda Chevy Chase, As,
one teacher for five periods;
Richard Montgomery, 40, one
teacher for five periods; Whea-
ton, 81, one teacher for five per-
iods: Carver, one teacher for two
periods; Damascus, 10. one teach
er for 2 and Us periods; Gath
ersburg. 16, one teacher for two
periods: and Poolesville, u, one
teacher for one period.
Mr.. Shaw stated that this
pres, nj enrolment is only
scratching the surface of The need
for driver education that 1000
students or almost six times the
present 1886 are ready for this
training right now.
Montgomery Blair for instance
could use instead of its present
two, seven instructors for the TOO
Students who should be IN the
program plus the backlog that
has been built up due TO the cur
tailment of the program.
The result Is that here is us
tally no room for the tenth grad
ers who are approaching the legal
age for driving and who should
get first preference. Because of
the limiiet course, The seniors
for whom this is the last chance,
get first preference, the juniors
second. and the tenth graders are
squeezed into the places that are
left.
Insurance Cost Drops
One fact that Mr.. Shaw point
ed out was that most insurance
companies give reduced rates fol
young people who have taker
the driver education course.
It is his opinion that the PEG
pie of Maryland could save
enough on these reduced insur
ance rates to more than finance
the cost of giving this course tc
every child who needs it.
There is also the question Of
the students who have already
learned to drive without taking
the course. At present, Mr.. Shaw
recommends that these students
attend the summer session and
take it on a tuition basis. They
cannot be taught in the regular
classes because of the difficulty
Of handling mixed group of this
kind.
The main reason for the limita
tons of the program is the lacl