dbny
09-24-2003, 03:40 PM
I have been teaching a Mommy & Me class once a week. Last season I volunteered so I could get the experience, and this fall the director called and asked me to work for pay :D There are three coaches for about 7 or 8 kids, and one for the adults. I should add that the kids are on the very young side, ranging from 2 to 3 1/2, and none of them had ever skated before.
We had our third session this morning. Last week was the first time on ice for one barely three year old girl. I happened to work with her quite a bit, and got her moving on her own, while I just hovered closely to prevent a scary fall. We really had fun together, with the little one even falling on purpose and getting up mostly on her own.
Today, naturally, she wanted to skate with me, and we were doing just fine, with her father by her side also, when the "adult" coach came up and began talking to her with "Come skate with me, don't you want to skate with me? I couldn't believe it. He was supposed to be working with the parents first of all, and had been told to do that several times already. I kept quiet because I didn't want any kind of unpleasantness in front of the parents or kids, and also because he is part owner of anther school where I work.
After he took this little girl away from me, he proceded to try to "teach" her swizzles, for which she was clearly not ready, as she still was not very confident and also did not have the degree of balance required yet. Later I saw her on the bench all teary eyed with her father. I went over and asked what happened, did she have a fall? Of course she did, and it was a bad one and she was done skating for the day. They left early and I just hope they come back next week. I really don't know what makes me angrier - the rudness and implied insult of it to me, or the injury done to this child's confidence. I'm very careful with the little ones who are new to the ice to let them fall with a helping hand so they don't take a big hit and leave in sobs, afraid to try again. This guy just thought so much of himself that he had to show off how fast his students progress!
I've seen him "pick" students from his groups and tell their parents all about how they could be really good skaters if they had private lessons. Definitley not my thing. If he attempts the same thing next week, I am going to say something like "Thanks, but we're doing fine here, how about helping little xxx over there?"
We had our third session this morning. Last week was the first time on ice for one barely three year old girl. I happened to work with her quite a bit, and got her moving on her own, while I just hovered closely to prevent a scary fall. We really had fun together, with the little one even falling on purpose and getting up mostly on her own.
Today, naturally, she wanted to skate with me, and we were doing just fine, with her father by her side also, when the "adult" coach came up and began talking to her with "Come skate with me, don't you want to skate with me? I couldn't believe it. He was supposed to be working with the parents first of all, and had been told to do that several times already. I kept quiet because I didn't want any kind of unpleasantness in front of the parents or kids, and also because he is part owner of anther school where I work.
After he took this little girl away from me, he proceded to try to "teach" her swizzles, for which she was clearly not ready, as she still was not very confident and also did not have the degree of balance required yet. Later I saw her on the bench all teary eyed with her father. I went over and asked what happened, did she have a fall? Of course she did, and it was a bad one and she was done skating for the day. They left early and I just hope they come back next week. I really don't know what makes me angrier - the rudness and implied insult of it to me, or the injury done to this child's confidence. I'm very careful with the little ones who are new to the ice to let them fall with a helping hand so they don't take a big hit and leave in sobs, afraid to try again. This guy just thought so much of himself that he had to show off how fast his students progress!
I've seen him "pick" students from his groups and tell their parents all about how they could be really good skaters if they had private lessons. Definitley not my thing. If he attempts the same thing next week, I am going to say something like "Thanks, but we're doing fine here, how about helping little xxx over there?"