Hello fellow instructors!
Are you happy or are you sad?
I ask my own children this once or twice daily. Not, “How are you doing?” but literally, “Are you happy or are you sad?” This is quite often the black or white mental state kids are in – they are happy or sad and possibly both within minutes of each other. My second question is usually, “Why are you ________?” I usually hear all kinds of answers, some of which I can fix like “Opal took my favorite stuffy” or “I’m too hot” or “My goggles are fogged up!” or “I’m thirsty.” Other times I’m not so lucky, but then I ask, “What would make you happy that we can do right now?” I’ll get some answers that I can’t do, but it really opens up my understanding of their current mental state and what I might be able to make them happy. Try that simple question and tell me how it goes!
Why are kids in lessons?
To have fun. Sure, the parents have the kids in lessons so they learn something and so mom and dad can go skiing or riding together, but kids usually have one purpose: to have fun. That’s your job – you’re the fun teacher in their lives! Recall the tenets of snowsports education: Safety, Fun, Learning (in that order). If kids (and adults) are safe and having fun, then learning can and will occur. If your focus is the “learning” (i.e. I have to get through all of the beginner progression), then I challenge you to switch your focus. Yes, we want students to learn, but we want them to be safe and have fun so they love skiing and riding and come back. Mastering the perfect turn will come with time – some learn faster than others, but everyone can have fun anytime! That’s up to you!
How do you create fun?
Here’s a story. I took out a novice mid-week education class last Wednesday because we were short staffed. The line was long on the carpet, so while in line I engaged kids with some quiz questions like, “Who knows the name of Oregon’s tallest mountain?” and “What animals live on Mt. Hood in the winter?” Guess what? I got all kinds of cool answers from Mt. Everest to polar bears! Then I shared with them that Mt. Hood is Oregon’s tallest mountain and about the pine martins that live in the area, and to keep an eye out for them! “What do they look like?” said one student. And the engagement was there even though the line was long!
After practicing making wedge turns on the carpet, on our last “run” before lunch I asked if anyone wanted to go on an adventure with me on our last run? “Yes!” they all said. I’m thinking to myself on the last ride up the carpet, what (the heck) am I going to do? Then it came to me … “Who’s skied powder before? Do you want to try it?” I skied them over to a small patch of deep untracked snow on skier’s right on the carpet … and we skied it! Sure it was hard! They fell over. They got stuck. I had to rescue a few of them. The snow was deep (it’s fun to fall in deep snow). Skis popped off! They struggled. But it was FUN and an adventure. Despite only making 4 or 5 runs on the carpet the whole morning, those kids wanted to ski with me in the afternoon, too! I’m pointing this out because, sure we want them to learn to ski, but it’s more than just skiing and riding – it’s the whole experience! Make it fun!
Games for Kids!
We also have Skiing Games for Kids and Snowboarding Games for Kids books for purchase and loan out in the Day Care if you are looking for some ideas for games for kids. These are age specific and broken out by ability, so there is something in there for all age and ability groups. If you are struggling for creative new content, stop by, take a photo of a page with your phone and use it at your next lesson!
Hey – let’s try this!
Sometimes the best lessons are about that complicated, especially with kids. Rather than getting into the knitty gritty of “how” to make every little move try, “Hey, can you do this?” followed by a quick demo of what you want them to do – quick like 3 seconds, ‘cuz that’s all the time you have to engage them. And “Hey team shredders, who can shred with me over here?” Then get them to just follow you. And as the legendary instructor Don Ball (of whom the Ballroom carpet is named after) would say, “Let’s talk. More skiing.”
Upcoming Paid Training
Looking for a paid training to fulfill your season obligations? Go here:
https://mhm.snowproportal.com/training/upcoming-paid-clinics
Last but not least…
I’ll be sending out a separate Level 1 exam information email to those who have expressed interest in joining PSIA-AASI and taking their Level 1 exam this season. If you have not shared your certification interest yet this season (be it Level 1, 2 or 3) please do so here: https://mhm.snowproportal.com/training/certification-interest .
And if you have already expressed your certification interest, you can find others who are also training to take an exam this season here: https://mhm.snowproportal.com/training/whos-training-for-what – sometimes finding a good training buddy is what it takes to get you to the next level, and that is what this list is for!
Thanks for reading (if you made it this far) and see you at the mountain!
Tyler