I have noted a growing tendency amongst the larger training organisations, especially those oriented towards commercial training, to adopt a rather pompous self important attitude among the staff who have over inflated ideas of their importance and seem intent to convey the seriousness of flying to the detriment of the fun element. Obviously safety is paramount but I personally find a more relaxed and informal atmosphere preferable to instructors who wander around with epaulettes trying their damndest to catch out students or recurrent training flights on minor matters of pedantry.
I am long out of being a student having got my licence 26 years ago, and these days only have occasional biennial flight contact with instructors, but it seems to me that over the years the informal fun element has disappeared in pursuit of ego driven overinflated ideas of self importance encouraged by the excuse of health and safety and a fear ( perhaps justified) of authority and regulation.