Feedback as an SM comes from all of the above - literally. I'm not paying $25k+ for an education in SMing. I'm paying it for an overall education, and gaining experience as an SM along the way. If I were going specifically for stage management, I would want to be trained by a stage manager, yeah. But as it is, it's a liberal-arts school focused as much on teaching it's students how to think as teaching them actual knowledge. As part of the theatre major, I'm required to take classes in all areas of theatre - directing, acting, lighting design, set design, and costuming, with options to focus more in one area than another. We're also taking a month-long trip to London next January to get an idea of the "theatre experience" there. So would I like to be taught by an SM? Ideally, yes. However, I think that you can get a good education that will prepare you for stage managing outside of school even if you're not. Which I know wasn't your point, and I agree with you fully on the point that if you're going to school for stage management, then yes. You should get taught by a stage manager.