Judging...

[Mike Edelson]

and I think black looks out of place on non-instructors.

Mike, this is HEMA. Everyone and their unlce Bob is an instructor.

[Richard Marsden]

I prefer the title, 'Magical Sensei', (I wear clear to denote my status) my uncle Robert is okay with instructor.

[Mike Ruhala]

Mike, this is HEMA. Everyone and their unlce Bob is an instructor.

I'll drink to that! I've only been studying the longsword for a year and I'm already an instructor... didn't even really ask for it either, just kinda happened. They made me sign papers and everything.

[Mike Ruhala]

BTW, I took a moment to look up the four men in the picture Kevin posted. Of the three men dressed in black uniforms the one on the left and the one in the center were two of the five founding members of AFLA. The one on the right was on AFLA's rules committee. It's notable that the seated gentlemen is wearing white with black/dark only on the target area as he appears to have just been a fencer and not an official or instructor... so it seems that the tradition was already established by the time of AFLA's founding.

ETA: I liked this commentary from the French master in the linked article,

He also observed that, “the professors hold aloof from each other too much, each in his own little circle of pupils, each jealously keeping that circle away from the others. This is suicidal policy. The teachers of fencing ought to meet each other every week and fence with each other. Every now and then they should bring their pupils together. This would be the manly, the courteous, and, I may add, the common sense method. It would gradually break down jealousies and force all the fencing men, professors and pupils alike, to keep their tempers in control and give credit where credit is due.”

That's more or less in line with my own beliefs and what I've been talking about re: isolationism. As far as that goes it sounds like that was the common practice in Fiore's time too, though from his writings it seems Fiore wanted to keep his teachings secret and that lead to bad feelings in his local fencing community... and a number of duels.

[Mike Edelson]

Mike, this is HEMA. Everyone and their unlce Bob is an instructor.

I'll drink to that! I've only been studying the longsword for a year and I'm already an instructor... didn't even really ask for it either, just kinda happened. They made me sign papers and everything.

You see??? You see??? It's a disease!

[Jon Wolfe]

Yep, if you're the most knowledgeable in you're particular group, no matter how limited that knowledge may be, you're automatically the instructor of the group.