Hello! Thank you for reading my post and taking the time to look at my blog.
I have been a ski instructor over at McIntyre Ski Area for about five years now, and each time I go out for a lesson I learn something new. Today I will be talking about some of such lessons and knowledge that I have gained through my experiences.
As a ski instructor, even the slightest failure can have enormous repercussions and pretty much a bad time for all involved. At any point during your lesson a child or a student could get seriously injured, so that's stressful enough. Another thing to keep in mind is that their parents/guardians are paying large sums of money for this student to learn, and if I as a teacher fail the student I have wasted all that time and money. Therefore through my experiences, I have learned how to cope with pressure and still work well and effectively under such.
Also, most of the time you are teaching someone an entirely foreign skill and that requires a great deal of patience and creative thinking to allow students the proper opportunity to learn how to ski. Much like in the classroom while teaching a new lesson, ski teaching requires practice, repetition, and creativity with games and explanations- I've found that kids learn best while having fun. Also, sometimes (more often then not) I will have to explain the same thing a hundred different ways and a thousand different times in order for anything to stick, and this goes for both kids and adults, therefore a great deal of patience is required.
All in all, I have learned more about education, working with people, and teaching through ski instructing than I have in my college career as of yet, and I am happy and proud to say this. Ski instructing, even at such a small hill, is what made me want to be a teacher in the first place and I can't wait until I can one day work with students in a whole different light, while sticking to the same practices.
MW
It is really interesting in how you connected skiing to educational learning and I think there is a lot of truth from that. When I coach soccer I am doing a lot of the same stuff and there can be big problems if a child is doing something wrong because they are not going to have a good time doing that activity anymore. When you talk about coming up with new ways in teacher the material to the children that is exactly how you have to teach in the classroom. Not everyone is going to learn the same and it is important to make the learning good for all. If you have to change something to make sure that they understand it then it must be done. In the end it will be an amazing when they finally get the skill that you taught them. This is a great post and extremely relatable.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is really cool how you compared ski instructing to teaching. As you pointed out in your post, there are many similarities between the two. I think that it is awesome that you have been committed to instructing for five years. I like that you pointed out that you "have to explain the same thing a hundred different ways and a thousand different times in order for anything to stick". I think that that statement is very true in the classroom. Every student learns differently, but the best feeling is watching the light bulb go off knowing you got through to that child.
ReplyDeleteLove how you compared both things to teaching. It really makes sense why you would feel like that after reading your blog. Just wanted to say that the blog was written nicely as well. It is so important to know how to cope with pressure when being a teacher. You are always going to have pressure on your shoulders because you have responsibility for a whole class and because you care about your students. You are also right about having to explain things in different ways. I feel like there are going to be so many different kinds of students, all on different levels so it is important to understand that and be able to approach a topic from different levels of understanding and skill sets.
ReplyDeleteI think thats awesome that you get to work while doing something you really enjoy. I actually have never been skiing before but I had always wanted to go. I think it would be extreamly fun and entertaining to learn how to ski... probably more entertaining for you, haha. I also thought it was really cool how you incorperated both ways by teaching.
ReplyDeleteThe thing that stuck out to me was when you said, "Another thing to keep in mind is that their parents/guardians are paying large sums of money for this student to learn, and if I as a teacher fail the student I have wasted all that time and money." This is very important to think about.For example, If a parent pays tuition at a top of the line private school, then as teachers we should take that as motivation to want to make sure these students learn everything they possibly can. Why? because their our parents out there that don't care about their children education and this investment into their child's learning should be achieved. Some parents live paycheck to paycheck and even when can't afford it will make sure that their children still get that best education possible. It is important we don't waste that time and money spent, because that time and money for some families could go to something else that is missed in the household. This brings the case of a paycheck teacher into play. If you're a paycheck teacher, you only care about collecting your money and not the child's education. A paycheck teacher is one who wouldn't think about this fact, that there is a lot of time and money put into education by a lot of parents for their children. I love the connection of teaching to skiing, it is very unique and some people wouldn't even notice how they intertwine unless it was mentioned.
ReplyDelete