Robert P. J. Day wrote: > On Thu, 22 Feb 2018, hw wrote: > >> Robert P. J. Day wrote: > > ... snip ... > >>> oh, i appreciate the need for caution; on the other hand, it >>> always struck me that the training room is the *ideal* place for >>> students to experiment with things they're too nervous or unsure >>> of to try back at the office. this is typically why, when i'm >>> teaching, i save friday afternoon for trying things that are >>> typically not covered by standard courseware. >>> >>> so as long as one delivers the proper caution, i see no problem >>> with something like, "ok, you might never have to do this at your >>> site, but just in case you ever need to upgrade your kernel, let's >>> try it and see what happens." so if the need ever arises, at least >>> they can say they've done it once and know what the end result is >>> supposed to be. >> >> The students you need to teach things like this are the ones that >> will never become good admins. > > uh, that's kind of a condescending attitude to take towards students > who simply want to learn. are you this way with everyone? Yes, and there´s nothing condescending about this. A student who is too chicken to try out basic things, be it within dedicated testing environments or, if need be, otherwise, will not become a good admin and is probably not a person well suited to bearing the responsibility that will be bestowed upon them, partly due to a lack of good judgement. I think that is something you should teach your students --- in the hope that their attitude may change. Isn´t that your intention to begin with?