As always, just my opinion follows. I will tag along with what has been said as there has been useful advice dispensed.
But you have to know a couple of things about what you are talking about. The difference between restoration and refinishing is as wide as The Grand Canyon. At one time refinishing (not restoration) was part of my business and I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed restoration as well, but most folks don't want to pay for it.
When refinishing, you take off the existing finish to the bare wood. For effect, it is common to leave a bit of color behind if you can so that the piece still looks period or authentic, but the piece is completely (re)finished with a new coating to protect it. Hardware is replaced or refinished, and modern repair methods are used to fix broken parts and pieces. There may or may not be any effort made to have the refinished piece look like the original. About ten years ago I refinished "mahogany" doors, and when stripped, they were a curious (but pretty) bronze/gold grained species that the country club owners decided they like better than the wood stained to match the traditional mahogany red folks crave. I shot several clear coats on it, and the grain pop was incredible and the doors looked much more modern and updated. New Baldwin hardware and I was done.
When restoring, one tries to keep the piece looking like it was after a bit of wear. The original finish is left intact wherever possible, and good restoration is more about cleaning and hidden repairs than anything else. Old hardware is reused whenever possible, but if replaced, the new hardware must match the original as closely as possible, or if not, at least the time frame to which the piece was made. Old marks and deep scratches are mitigated, but not removed. My guideline was make a piece look like it did when it was still in use. The old finishes used aren't a spot on the butt of today's finishes, and most will dissolve with high VOC solvents, so it can be easy to redistribute the old finishes on some pieces.
I have restored a few chairs and couple of keep sake items passed down to great grandkids. I REALLY enjoyed that work as it was quite relaxing and I could see the care and consideration put into the pieces when they were built.
While this is no reflection on you CR, your instructor is an complete idiot, not qualified to sweep floors. Restoration is a craft, learned mostly by trial and error and a good restorer has several years of trial and error behind them just to get exposed to finishing and construction techniques, not to mention all the nuances presented by working with different woods.
I have never heard or read or seen anyone that used stripper and a wire brush on a restoration. The wire brush alone won't raise the grain, but it will eat out the soft pulp between the grain to make it appear that the grain was raised. No one uses wire brushes on refinishes either unless it is metal doors, handrails, etc. It is common to use a small brass bristled brush to clean out stubborn wood details that have accumulated dirt and grime, but they are a last resort. You never use and instrument to clean that is much, much harder than the wet wood you are stripping as it is too easy to damage the wood and you may not know when you do it as the wet gunk of stripped finish will hide the scratches you leave while working.
My first advice would be to head to the library and go through their books on restoring and refinishing of wood. It is absolutely fascinating. I have spent untold hours reading about techniques, home brew finishes, how to restore hardware, etc.
Second, if the chairs you are working on are not of any real value and you are actually stripping for a refinish (as opposed to a restoration), get a good stripper (BIX in the orange can is pretty good) and a couple of stiff scrub brushes in different profiles. Apply your stripper, wait until the finish bubbles, then brush off the old finish. Do this twice, even if you don't think it needs to be done twice. The second pass will remove the residue that you didn't get the first time. Then rinse with lacquer thinner. Sand, rinse with lacquer thinner again, then apply your finish as per manufacturer's instruction.
Good luck!
Robert