#1 - Teaching ski lessons is a WORKOUT! I spent more time (the first couple of weeks) with my skis off running (in my boots), trekking up and down the magic carpet hauling my skis, teaching them how to get up after falling, skiing backwards or with kids between my legs. This all leds to tired quads and carb cravings! Despite being exhausted and super hungry, its so much fun!
#2 - Parents can be more difficult than their kids. TRUTH! I experienced enabling parents when managing the Hawk Squad (high school and college aged students), but having lingering parents interrupting your class multiple times is not cool. Parents are more than welcome to watch their children, but from a place where their student is not able to see them or know that they are watching. In other words, interrupting my class multiple times to bring a child water and snacks (she has no health issues that would require this) is not okay.
#3 - Parents thought I was a student in a class of one four year old and three seven year olds. NICE! (Insert a sarcastic comment that is probably not appropriate!)
#4 - Its a SMALL WORLD. Without going into too much detail, its interesting who you can run into or meet while up at the mountain.
#5 - When little ones say that they need to "GO POTTY," its amazing how their skiing improves just so that they can make it to the trees in time. Stopping, making turns, skiing in control... no problem! Hand sanitizer for everyone!
#6 - My younger students (4 years old) learned much quicker than the older ones (6 & 7 year olds). This may have been a fluke, but it seemed like the 4 year old didn't fear or even think twice about what she was doing versus the older ones analyzed everything. They even told me, "if you let me fall from this chair, you'll get fired and my parents will be very mad at you." What turkeys! I was subbing for this class, so my response was, "well bottom to back, back to back... don't be crazy on the chair, PAY ATTENTION and hang on." I'm nice, huh?!?
#7 - I really love the fact that my ski school provides adult "buddy riders." Even though technically my students are "allowed" to go up on the chair themselves, they are little and still learning. Having the reassurance that an adult is with them on the chair helping to ensure that they get on, off and don't fall off keeps my anxiety levels down so that I am able to focus on instructing and making skiing fun. Thank you BUDDY RIDERS for helping to safely get kiddos up the chair!
#8 - Boys will do anything for TREATS. I like to make the kiddlets earn their treats and it works like magic. I also do not let the kiddos put their hands into the baggies. I feed the kids like birds and wait for them to enjoy their treat before we move on. No choking in my class!
#9 - Using props to teach ski lessons so that the kiddos don't realize that you are teaching is super effective! We drive a lot of Mario carts, spread an unlimited supply of peanut butter and jelly, carry pizzas and often times feed them to different animals, and color the snow. Hooray for PROPS!
#10 - I'm THANKFUL that my students are younger kiddos versus the tweens with tudes (attitudes). My littles still want to hold my hand (though another friend says never touch them, they have germs and are juicy...and trust me, I carry hand sanitizer), sit next to me and copy whatever I do. The trade off is that they cry, have a super short attention span, can't outski me yet and need to go potty every 30 minutes!
Happy skiing!