achsaber wrote:well in Stephen King's The Stand one of the characters loses a patient because he couldn't tell what everything was.I'm not saying it isn't possible just that you need real pratice (like Carla in the Walking Dead show with the zeds).
Literally, I most definitely concur with this. While books and other educational materials will be an effective tool, actual teachers and practicing your newfound skills in a safe environment is a must. Such and such is why an educational system is so vital when it comes to a recovering civilization.
My personal experience with this involves my college years, when a lot of the classes were only offered in online form. Because I had an IT major, I had to work with a lot of computer equipment. However, when you have a lot of your classes online, you miss out on things. You just don't get the full experience when you're missing out on the tactile sensations you receive when using your hands to do the actual work. Typing on a keyboard and using a mouse to "build a computer" just doesn't cut it. And you miss out on actual safety too. Consider that when you are taking a online class involving a lot of hardware, you learn about things like electricity, and how it works, but when you do it in real life, you don't put two and two together and misuse electricity, causing an entire computer to short out and/or possibly shocking yourself in the process. In addition, when you're working with the case of a computer, you miss out on how to remove certain parts of the case, and when those parts are rusty, giving yourself a nasty cut can be dangerous.
During the zombie apocalypse, you must have or at least be able to obtain valid experience with the skills you learn, because if you don't, one mistake can be fatal. Please take care; thanks a bunch, and have a good day.
whassupman03 
P.S.: Not to worry though, books and educational materials are still a vital part of the world's recovery, so you are on to something ICHIBAN11. Even so, one of the best things my family taught me is "We can only give you the tools; it is up to you to use them."
But anyway, please take care; thanks a bunch, and have a good day.
), but for training up your survivor group, books can act as a reference for their studies. Of course, this would only reach a certain point - actually doing the work would take over from there. You can use a manual to, say, do work on an engine motor or repair a gun step by step, but it is up to the PCs and NPCs to actually do the work and use what they learned. It's like taking Biology 101 - you can study from the books all you want, but it takes actual work by you, the students, to dissect the frog. 
Patience and safe living conditions are where books really pay off. But anyway, please take care; thanks a bunch, and have a good day.
