| White95Max:
I was only talking about the mechanics you mentioned, not the way you teach (Sorry).
I remember when I brought my Audi A4 in 2004. 1st test drive I was nervous and stalled at every light, didn't know when to shift into the next gear, the works. The Salesman who was with me kept reaching over to move the shifter cause he thought I was going to burn out the clutch.
I had not driven a manual speed transmission since I was in the Marines years ago.
I went home that day not buying that car but knew I was going to get a car with 6Mt. I was tired of just being a passenger in the drivers seat. I hit the Internet and looked up a few sites that are all about driving a manual and soaked it all in.
I went back to buy the car I wanted a few weeks later and I blew that salesman away without ever having been in another manual speed car since the last time.
From dead starts, to down/up shifting I had it down. He was amazed that I learned so fast. I still had to get the car home which was a good 10 mile drive (both highway and city) and did stall a few times.
But every night I would read those pages again, and then go out for a drive (it's largely urban where I live so the streets are long and dead after 8 or 9). A week later I was in good shape and able to handle my own. Things have only gotten better since (now it's all second nature to me)
I took you through all this to point out some things that might help your situation.
1) The person your teaching has to want to learn and do their homework. It's easier to help someone understand something when they have an understanding what that something is.
2) Show them the panic stop once they get rolling. That is when breaking a manual quickly the clutch goes in first to avoid stalling.
3) Teach the person to ignore the pressure of the roads. A driver has to be aware of the situation around him/her that's good. Paying more attention to those surroundings than to what your doing, driving a car at this point, is bad.
3) Some people say learning to drive in a sheltered area is bad cause they learner will eventually have to get out on the road sometime. I disagree. I think the person should not go out on a open road in traffic until they are safe to do so and more importantly have the confidence in themselves to do it.
Other ways to finding the friction point is to listen to the engine (the rpm's will change once the clutch is dis-engaged). You'll also see a blip on the tacometer.
Have them work the shifter (engine off) so they know by feel which gear they are in
Just a few tips, but I think your on the right track.
Morbid | 
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