Sunday, January 30, 2005
Should parents and/or recreational skaters teach skating?
Today parents are encouraged to spend time with children. Homeschooling is a norm. It is a good thing to see parents taking time to be with their children.
Ice rinks are full of fathers teaching their little boys skating skills as they prepare to play hockey.
It is common to see mothers following their child with a tape recorder as they practice Basic Skills and ISI routines and drilling their child on moves.
With the cost of skating lessons rising, parents are taking on the role of coach, and cutting corners on lessons. Sometimes they do a better job or know more than those who "say" they are qualified to teach skating.
Some may say that a parent can only take a child to a certain level before passing "Little Susie" on. Some say a recreational ice dancer can only take an adult who wishes to enjoy ice dancing so far.
But...these skaters are not being passed on. "Little Susie" does not take enough lessons with a paid professional and "Adult Ice Dancer" learns a lot of steps, but never learns to do dances properly.
This is okay, but....how can we keep coaches in our profession working when the clientele thinks it is okay to cut corners?
Ice rinks are full of fathers teaching their little boys skating skills as they prepare to play hockey.
It is common to see mothers following their child with a tape recorder as they practice Basic Skills and ISI routines and drilling their child on moves.
With the cost of skating lessons rising, parents are taking on the role of coach, and cutting corners on lessons. Sometimes they do a better job or know more than those who "say" they are qualified to teach skating.
Some may say that a parent can only take a child to a certain level before passing "Little Susie" on. Some say a recreational ice dancer can only take an adult who wishes to enjoy ice dancing so far.
But...these skaters are not being passed on. "Little Susie" does not take enough lessons with a paid professional and "Adult Ice Dancer" learns a lot of steps, but never learns to do dances properly.
This is okay, but....how can we keep coaches in our profession working when the clientele thinks it is okay to cut corners?
# posted @ 2:48 PM 
Comments:
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The recreational coaches do not know the limits of their teaching. The point at which a coach that does not have a consistent axel needs to pass on her student is not when the student is ready to learn the axel - it's some point before that. My observation has been that these coaches simply don't realize that ability to do does not imply ability to teach.
If the PSA does not currently provide guidelines on what a coach can teach based on coaching or skating accomplishments, such a document would be helpful. For instance: in order to teach an axel you must have either coached a student through or passed the Intermediate freeskate test.
If the PSA does not currently provide guidelines on what a coach can teach based on coaching or skating accomplishments, such a document would be helpful. For instance: in order to teach an axel you must have either coached a student through or passed the Intermediate freeskate test.
# posted by 
: 8:03 AM
: 8:03 AM
I played piano as a child. I am no concert pianist; just a recreational piano player.
I observed what my children's piano teacher was teaching my children, and realized I knew enough to do what she was doing and do it better.
And so, I've taken my children through two years of piano so far, and think I can get them through about the 4th and maybe the 5th year.
I know my limitations, but I know I can do a good job as a parent. I think I'll know when to pass them on to a qualified piano teacher, but in the meantime, they enjoy "lessons" with me and improve quickly under my instruction.
Maybe we ice skating coaches are not as much needed as we once were?
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I observed what my children's piano teacher was teaching my children, and realized I knew enough to do what she was doing and do it better.
And so, I've taken my children through two years of piano so far, and think I can get them through about the 4th and maybe the 5th year.
I know my limitations, but I know I can do a good job as a parent. I think I'll know when to pass them on to a qualified piano teacher, but in the meantime, they enjoy "lessons" with me and improve quickly under my instruction.
Maybe we ice skating coaches are not as much needed as we once were?
# posted by : 9:04 AM
: 9:04 AM << Home
