n00b instructor!

[tooch]

i'm so stoked!
my son and i just started the instructor training program at our loc mtn. he's doing skiing and i'm doing snowboarding. they say it gets you to the point of being able to pass the basic aasi cert. our first real session is next wknd. can hardly wait.
tips/comments welcome!

[Type_0]

i was going to do this at wa wa too. but dident have the $$. :(

[tooch]

ur a FT student, right? it's only $69. you get a pass and discounts at the ski shop. DO IT!!

[fattrav]

Course tips - remain calm, listen to what they tell you even if it's wrong, then do it your way. Ask questions, no matter how dumb they are, the only dumb question is an unasked one.

Teaching tips - A teaching method which is good for students is Explain Demonstrate Imitate (pretty self explanitary). Explaining things in your own easy language is usually the best way to get things across, pitch to the level of student though.

- I often use my arms as a tell for people to see what my feet are doing i.e. left hand goes up indicates that left toe is up/ weight moved to heel. Both hands up indicates both heels up (say for stopping or something like that). Keeps it simple for them, and they can usaually grasp what is going on a little easier. Which brings me to my final point:

Keep It Simple (for the) Stupid - If you explain things simply, even the dumbest mother farker is going to understand, get it quickly, maximise there learning and also, more importantly, there on snow fun.

Go hard Tooch!

[l3obby33]

Tooch is the man good luck

[GreatScott]

That's so great Tooch. I'm excited for you.

How are you finding the time with your regular responsibilities to do this?

[Type_0]

im no longer in school. so id have to pay the adult price. and isent it too late?

[djstealth]

to everything everyone tells you just respond "shush, pops knows best!"

[tooch]

thanks, kids.

sooooo...

trav - great tips. they have a similar thing in the manual. "TID bits" or something. "something, something, Demonstrate." guess i'll have to read the manual again. and ya, the thing with using ur hands to rep ur feet. but we haven't really even started the actual coursework yet. that's this wknd. and don't worry - i'm the king of asking questions. that's how i got wicked smaaaaaaaaaht ;)

scott - it ain't easy, but it'll be worth it. my cash is so tight this year we won't be able to get out much, so this will help. i'm just bummed that my youngest is too young. he's the only other hc in the fam.

type 0 - thought you were at QCC. but in any case, it's prolly not too late. we didn't really do that much on sat. if you can scrape together the $, i'd call them to see if u could get in.

dj - i'm way ahead of ya...

thanks, guys. i'm soooooo looking forward to this. maybe i'll be able to get some other old timers out there who are too embarrassed to ask for a lesson from some kid instructor.

[tooch]

maybe i'll be able to get some other old timers out there who are too embarrassed to ask for a lesson from some kid instructor.


that actually reminds me of a funny story. i took my first lesson with my oldest when he was like 10 or something so i was like 40 or so. a year or two later i decided to do a tuneup lesson at the same mtn. so i show up at the ski school in the morning and sign in and all the instructors are standing around back behind the counter. so the woman asks me if i've had a lesson there before and i said yes. she asked if i wanted the same instructor as before, but i didn't remember his name. so i look over her shoulder at all the instructors standing around, and there's this one kid - like 19 or something - with wicked baggy pants and metal in his ears, eyebrows, lips, nose, and god knows where else. i pointed to him and told the woman "i want that kid."
i thought she was gonna die laughing.
we had a great lesson.

[snwbrder3384]

that actually reminds me of a funny story. i took my first lesson with my oldest when he was like 10 or something so i was like 40 or so. a year or two later i decided to do a tuneup lesson at the same mtn. so i show up at the ski school in the morning and sign in and all the instructors are standing around back behind the counter. so the woman asks me if i've had a lesson there before and i said yes. she asked if i wanted the same instructor as before, but i didn't remember his name. so i look over her shoulder at all the instructors standing around, and there's this one kid - like 19 or something - with wicked baggy pants and metal in his ears, eyebrows, lips, nose, and god knows where else. i pointed to him and told the woman "i want that kid."
i thought she was gonna die laughing.
we had a great lesson.

im surprised they kept both of you in the same lesson. i always try to split kids and adults up since they learn differntly. i also cant belive they let a kid with that much metal in his face keep it in while he teaches. tooch dont worry about all the AASI lingo right now focus on learning how to teach.

[tooch]

^^
i'm on it!

[DragonUSMC]

Gratz Tooch, and dont worry, I'm sure you and your son will do fine passing the level 1 certs.

I dont want to make it sound too easy but seriously, if you just can listen and remember to what your training instructor showed you the day before, you will do just fine...

now level 2 certs... thats an entirely different story =)

[tooch]

i'm just the man for it...

[Elevation]

Age 51, you snowboard and your son skiis, thats legit!!

My dad is 52 and started snowboarding on one of my old boards about 3 years ago. He loves it and only gets to ride a handful of times a year but loves riding and learning something new.

[Elevation]

Gratz Tooch, and dont worry, I'm sure you and your son will do fine passing the level 1 certs.

I dont want to make it sound too easy but seriously, if you just can listen and remember to what your training instructor showed you the day before, you will do just fine...

now level 2 certs... thats an entirely different story =)

There are 3 levels, yes? Or are there 4?

[DragonUSMC]

there are 3 levels but then there are side certifications as well, such as park / pipe. And adaptive skiing for people with disabilities, etc.

[snwbrder3384]

^teaching kids, old people, etc....

[fattrav]

^ or Australians

[tooch]

Age 51, you snowboard and your son skiis, thats legit!!

My dad is 52 and started snowboarding on one of my old boards about 3 years ago. He loves it and only gets to ride a handful of times a year but loves riding and learning something new.

he and my wife ski, all the rest ride. he tried a snowboard once and hated it. never went back. my daughter tried skis again last season and practically killed herself. she hadn't been on them since she was about 8. she even used to be on the ski race team!

[tooch]

first full lesson today. awesome. going again tomorrow with my 2 planker son.

o. did i mention i'm totally stoked?

[Type_0]

do my car is kinda DED. looks like i might not even get up to the mountain all that much this winter :/ but thanks for the offer!

[tooch]

there are 3 levels but then there are side certifications as well, such as park / pipe. And adaptive skiing for people with disabilities, etc.

so there's AASI certification levels, then there's the levels for the students. when our kids were little there was ski-wee, the level system for kids. it was through ski magazine. it was great, cuz it was the same at every mountain that had it. if your kid was level 4 at one mtn, you could take him to another mtn and put him in lessons at the same level and know he was getting the same thing. the had just started a snowboarding component, but they did away with it years ago, which is really too bad.

i don't know a thing about the instructor levels, but i'm about to find out.

one thing i noticed, though. i was checking out the skier and rider progression cards they use at this mtn. there are 7 levels on both, but level 7 on the snowboard card includes spins and jumps and other park stuff. on the ski card, it's all about skiing technique - no tricks. i found that kinda weird. i think it's a lot harder to get to level 7 riding than skiing.

i also noticed that there's a pretty wide range of competency in the group. i had a kid in our group yesterday that could barely ride. i'm thinking why would you want to be an instructor if you can't even ride? it's not like i'm travis parker or anything, but i'm a solid rider. reminded me of that joke - what's the difference btw a snowboarding student and an instructor? about 5 days.

we did a beginner lesson yesterday (we were the students), but our trainer had us do the entire thing fakie so we could see what it was like to be a student. that was a great idea. i can ride switch pretty well, but i've never done 1 footed j turns fakie. felt REEEEEAAALLY uncomfortable. practically killed myself trying to skate like that.

[snwbrder3384]

^^ in psia their are 9 levels for skiiers and 6 levels for snowboarders. nowhere in them do they include freestyle in any of them. your school has their own deal for their students.i do the same thing with my new hires, it gives them the feeling of being a student again. why would they want a kid who could barly ride? its not about how good you are its about how well you can teach. iv taken a guy whos rode 1 day and after 6 days with me(a) he was able to teach the first feew levels and (b) he was able to ride most any terrain on the mountain.

[TheDanger-Zone]

to everything everyone tells you just respond "shush, pops knows best!"

Should that not be Gramps instead of Pops???:noidea: hahaha jk tooch..
You will do great... the best too ya brah..

[Corkscrewed]

^ OMG!!! SKI WEE!!! i used to love that sh!t when i was a kid. i couldnt wait for the weekends to go up to the hill and meet up with my Ski Wee group. ahhhhh...those were the days!

[tooch]

haha, i hope all my kid classes are like that - kids that are excited about being there (assuming i get hired)
headed up again now.

i feel like you did when you were a kid. i think about the class all week.

[Spin240]

I would be really surprised if they dont hire you... Mountains will take anyone that seems semi-responsible... Every mountain in the country can use more snowboard instructors.. they are all short on staff because the pay is so low.

[tooch]

^^
word



.

[Corkscrewed]

yeah, they have a pretty high turn over rate for instructors! that fact that you're "older" generally translates to more mature and responsible ie: shows up for his shifts. you're definitely gonna get hired!

[tooch]

last day of class was yesterday. exam next sun. wish me luck!

[GreatScott]

You'll do great man

[DC-RiDa-4-LiFe77]

its in the bad pops

[dirtyjerz]

we took an exam at the completion of our ITC classes. the reason i was given as a returning instructor for taking the exam was for insurance reasons, to prove that i took a test and was capable of instructing.

[tooch]

I PASSED!

the mountain called and said i had one of the highest scores. want me to start right away!

stoked!

[GreatScott]

Congrats man!!!

[DC-RiDa-4-LiFe77]

time to celebrate :lol: :cheer2::woot::first:

[Type_0]

private lessons?

[tooch]

what? you want ME to give YOU a private? new instructors mostly only do level 1 lessons. unless you're a total newb, you'd prolly pwn me. but yeah, i'd love to do privates - you make more $ !!

[dirtyjerz]

Congrats!! That's huge, good luck it only gets easier as you go. They're throwing you right into the lion's den with christmas week upon us. This is a money maker week, enjoy it!!

[Type_0]

yeah. id take a private lession with ya just to shoot the sh!t.

[tooch]

cool! i'll pm you once i know what my schedule is.

[Type_0]

aiight. i also might have a few friends who have never ridden before that might want a good teacher.

[tooch]

way cool!


.

[Type_0]

so who should i send them too? :P

[tooch]

just ask for tooch! i might be starting as soon as friday. i'll let you know.

[tooch]

i start teaching this weekend!
got the second highest overall score.

booyaaahh

[tooch]

ok, my schedule is
sat and sun 1 - 9
tues, thurs 3 - 7
christmas week (next week) every day 8:30 - 4

come by and we'll take a few runs!