personally, I learned on my own for the most part with videos and drum books. For people who have had drum instructors do you think it is worth it? If I practice on my own with a lot of the tools available will I still be able to progress at the same rate as someone taking lessons?

well someone being trained definitely has the advantage.. you can study from a book but you could be wrong on something and never know it. a teacher will really guide you through the process and IMHO i think that its money well spent