I've been out of the skating loop (no pun intended) so I decided to start what appears to be the first lesson thread of the new season.

Did my first group lesson program in a million years yesterday. I don't have any groups as yet, but I helped out with getting the kids to the right instructors at the right time.

There's a very nice skate guard working our "practice area" who really wants to help. He's probably 14 years old and he's afraid of getting the parents angry. So, I gave him a pep talk about how important it is to everyone, especially the parents, to keep the kids from hurting themselves or others.

We had a few reluctant first-timers, so I coaxed 2 of them onto the ice for a quick "private" lesson. (By the time they got on the ice, their "real" lesson was over.) I tried a new tactic - just having the first-timers march around off-ice in a parade. It got them moving and away from Mom and Dad (who were part of the parade-watchers.) Then, I conned the kids into coming on the ice gradually and "parading" from one rink door to another, where Daddy was waiting. With a few "ta-da's" for pride -- this was a good tactic!

I failed with the other two, even though one of them knew me and knew I had taught her sister! Win some, lose some, right?

It was wonderful to be back, and to bring my kids for their own lessons. They need the exercise after spending endless days inside the house with babysitters.

So, how did other people's lessons go this week? Tell us - we want to know!

Have a great skating season!
Isk8NYC

__________________

My Saturday afternoon class is a mess. It's supposed to be Snowplow Sam 1, but there are two 7 year old girls who are friends. They are outskating everyone else and their moms complained that I was giving too much attention to the little 4 yr old who could not stand up the first day and to the scared-to-move 6 yr old girl! On top of that, there is a 5 yr old boy with a learning disorder (probably ADHD) and then they threw in a new girl who is 7, and had never skated and missed the first 4 classes!!! The skating director pulled the 4 yr old, who also does not speak or understand much English, and gave her individual attention. Then I just had to keep the 2 exuberant 7 year olds busy while working with everyone else. I did somehow finally manage to please everyone, and they all passed either Snowplow Sam 1 or Basic 1. I put my recomendations for the next term on the test paper, and I can only hope that the director actually pays some attention to them.

On the plus side, several of the kids are now taking private lessons with me after class, and if there were more time, I could give more lessons.

__________________

I been there done that DBNY, lol. I so can relate.

I I got the Canskate badge 5 and 6's today, kids that can do more than stand up, so it was a lot of fun, I got to teach half flips and work on landing positions. They can all do waltz jumps already so I said, hey, lets do toe jumps. Some can do toe loops, some just half flips, I didn't worry whether they did inside or outside 3s, I just wanted feet leaving the ground.

My big discovery is that I actually can jump the other way. I'm a natural CW jumper, but since all my kids are CCW, I had to demonstrate the other way, and actually did it.