A day in the life of an ALS instructor

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. John Gordinier
  • 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  Non-commissioned officers are considered the "backbone" of any military branch, but before any airman can become an NCO in the Air Force, they have to attend Airman Leadership School where they are mentored and trained by ALS instructors to become leaders.

More than 450 airmen step through the doors of ALS every year at Barksdale and after five weeks of instruction and mentoring, they graduate as leaders and supervisors.

Upon entering the ALS facility, airmen get a vision of professionalism immediately with display cases of uniforms, coins, past leadership and history. Looking down the long hallway, they can see dozens of wooden plaques hanging from the ceiling. As airmen walk down the hallway, their eyes are drawn to the plaques and they begin to read the Airman's Creed.

Stepping into each classroom brings more Air Force heritage as each is decorated uniquely with the legacies of past students. The rooms are furnished with desks in a horseshoe, name tags are in front of every student and they face a podium where the ALS instructor teaches.

An ALS instructor position is a four-year special-duty assignment and each one at Barksdale will have transformed more than 440 Airmen into NCOs by the time their assignment is over.

Some of the instructors say they love what they do and that it is very rewarding.

"I love making a difference and am fortunate to be allowed the opportunity," said Tech. Sgt. Yvonne Dees, ALS instructor of three years. "It is very rewarding when students say, 'thank you' and use the information and lessons learned. I set them up for success and show them how to lead and supervise."

"The most rewarding thing is seeing the transformation from airman to NCO," said Staff Sgt. Travis Bowser, ALS instructor of 16 months. "They may not understand what they are doing at first, but by the end, they see how the Air Force is suppose to work and how they are suppose to lead. It gives them a new lease on life."

Each instructor has their own way of teaching, but all instruct the same criteria to include: enlisted performance report writing, bullet writing, leadership techniques, how to write and perform midterm and initial feedback sessions and how to perform and write counseling sessions.

"The main thing I focus on in my instruction is taking care of your Airmen," Sergeant Bowser said. "Each supervisor needs to know their Airman and to put those needs ahead of their own. We give them different scenarios throughout the course and see how they handle it as the supervisor. Afterward, we discuss other avenues and possibilities in an open-forum discussion."

Being an ALS instructor is not for everyone, the instructors say it takes a large amount of dedication and is a huge challenge for balancing work with home life.

Balancing home life and work is very hard at times, Sergeant Bowser said. The first six months of being an instructor is the most difficult.

"You will have 12-hour days or longer, because each instructor has to find their groove," he continued. "At first, you are working late learning each lesson for the next day, but after a few months, the flow improves. During these long days, it is hard to take care of your family and to take care of your airmen simultaneously, but you have to find time. We are mentoring airmen to take care of their own, so we must set the example for them."

ALS instructors are not machines or robots who have no issues of their own, Sergeant Bowser said. An Airman has to be committed to be any professional military education instructor. It takes a lot of work.

"Instructors have to learn about each airman they instruct and what is the best way to teach them," Sergeant Bowser said. "By week three, they are screaming, 'let me out of here,' but by week five, they have learned a lot and actually want to stay."

After 24 academic days and more than 190 hours of instruction and mentoring, airmen graduate ALS and become NCOs, or the "backbone" of the Air Force. They go on to supervise and lead, while ALS instructors prepare themselves to teach the next class.