Jeff “Coach” Adams has served more than 60,000 students since opening his school in 2001.[/caption]His real name is Jeff Adams. To everyone at Cypress Driving School, however, he is “Coach.”
Adams founded the school on Hwy. 6 in 2001 and has since opened locations in Waller and Cypress. He said he has served more than 60,000 students in the Cy-Fair ISD community as well as students in Tomball, Waller, Brenham, Katy, Spring Branch and Aldine ISDs.
“Coaching is just a part of my personality; it’s rewarding for me to be able to help people learn and watch them progress,” he said. “I always know when I pick up the phone that when someone actually calls me Jeff, they are trying to sell me something.”
Both teenage and adult students can take driver’s education and permit tests at Cypress Driving School. Students up to age 25 can schedule their road tests with the business as well.
Adults over the age of 25 are required by Texas law to take a six-hour drivers education class before scheduling a road test. Cypress Driving School offers this class, but road tests for adults must be scheduled with the Department of Public Safety. Adams said this requirement could change soon, and he plans to offer adult road tests as soon as it becomes legal for him to do so.
Cypress Driving School is known for its flexibility in scheduling classes and tests, and promising students can schedule road tests the same week they call in, Adams said. Among the busiest students to take classes at the school was Danielle Bradbury, who was learning how to drive at the same time she was rising to fame on NBC’s singing competition show “The Voice.”
“She was calling me from the plane to set up a test time,” Adams said. “Whatever your schedule is, I will find a way to fit it.”
As a longtime driving instructor, Adams also helps individuals become certified as road testers and classroom instructors. He stays on top of driving trends and changes to laws, tweaking his classes accordingly.
“The No. 1 killer of teens is now texting while driving, so that’s something I stress to students and parents,” he said. “I tell parents learning how to drive starts at age 13. If you have them sit in the front seat and teach them how to look around from an early age, that makes my job that much easier.”
Students can take courses online, but Adams encourages they take classes in person, if possible.[/caption]Adams also stressed the importance of parents remaining calm during lessons at home with their children.
“If your kid hits a curb, don’t freak out at them about it,” he said. “You don’t yell at babies when they are learning to walk.”
Future plans involve adding more educational content online over the next few months, including a detailed video series. Adams said a fourth location in Tomball should be up and running in the next month or two. He is also gradually expanding a Spanish-language driver’s education program by hiring more Spanish-speaking teachers and obtaining more reading material in Spanish.
“I am always looking to make things better or more useful to my students,” he said. “This business is very important to me, and I love what I do.”
