driving the future

Instructor

Hello! My name is Annabel Birchak and I am a driver education instructor for classroom and behind-the-wheel training at South Eugene High School. I am so excited to be starting a new chapter with Pacific Northwest Driving Academy! I am not new to driver education, however, and have been teaching at South Eugene High School for a few years with another company prior to this one so you may recognize me. Safety in transportation has been my passion from my early beginnings as a tour van driver and becoming a school bus driver in New York. I later worked as a school bus driver in Southern California transporting students K-12. When I relocated to the beautiful Pacific Northwest, I knew I wanted to continue in the transportation sector. When I saw a class for attaining a driver education instructor certificate, I fell in love! Teaching and driving (and especially safety in transportation) are my main passions in life! Unfortunately, learning to drive was a very difficult and off-putting experience for me as a teenager. I do not want any student to feel like I did. I believe it is especially important to have a calm, nurturing space to learn how to drive. I understand just how stressful it can be for both parents and student drivers! Our drive lessons are created in steps that students master one step at a time and build confidence gradually. Patience is key! Your student driver will never be asked or required to do something outside their skill set or before they are ready. We give ample practice for each skill that will be tested on the final drive. I am more than happy to have students try and try again (for example with parallel parking) until they feel good and confident they can handle it with ease! I can’t wait to meet you all and look forward to an exciting, fun term ahead!