Who's in charge?

There have been a few threads recently where the beleifs and practices of instructors/senior students have been questioned. I was wondering what people's opinions are on how the power structure of a class/group should be.



Is it a case of the instructor is always right or is it a buyers market where the customer is always right? Does an instructor need to obey the will of the students or do the students need to obey the instructor? How much should people worry about getting on with eachother on a personal level? Should people approach it more professionally, your there to train and the rest is irrelevant?



I have had some instructors who are very strict and others who were very relaxed, me personally I prefer the relaxed attitude but I think that requires a degree of maturity from everyone present for the class to still operate. Too relaxed and the work rate goes down hill and people stop listening/learning, at the end of the day the instructor knows best that's why they are teaching. I have never had an instructor I didn't get on well with, I don't know what it would be like learning from some one you didn't like.



I'd be interested in hearing other people's experiences and opinions on how the class dynamic should be. As there is potential for a lot middle ground/grey area between the 2 ends of the spectrum id appreciate it if people could try to be specific. I know I didn't do a very good job of that my self.