Flyboy,
I kind of agree with you, but I have several students at a stage right now that if they just fly around in a box pattern, I don't have to do anything for them. Once in a while I verbally coach them though a recovery, but that's it. But they can't take off or land yet, and if something does go wrong (about every 2nd or 3rd flight), they still need a save. (btw, they aren't ready to land because while they can fly around, they can't quite put the airplane where it needs to be, which is what we are working on. It's one thing to fly around when if you are left or right 100' it doesn't hurt anything, and quite another to hit a fairly small runway )

On the other hand, there is a guy at my field who just may be an indefinate student. I was talking to another instrutor who's known this student for a while. The instructor said something to the effect of "The other instructors don't like flying with <student>, but I love it. With the other students, you get board, and your hand gets cramped, with <student> he holds your attention. You get the rush of a save several times, from some of the most amazing positions. And your hand never gets sore on the trainer switch either." Anyway, I've flown with this student a few times now, and he's a really nice guy, but progress is slow, and he does keep me on my toes, that's for sure.