Sunday, February 7, 2010

My Personal Teaching Philosophy

How lucky I am to cultivate the art of teaching something that I love!
“Listen to your body.” “Work within your personal fitness levels.” “How does your body feel today?” “Keep it easy for you.” “YES! That’s great!” These are some of the cheers that my students hear repeatedly from me, along with great music & encouragement, as a call to action.
I so appreciate the variety of body types and age groups of people in my fitness classroom. The decision to take a class requires commitment and drive. The fact that they show up is the first step of the experience. The next few steps are where the fun comes in, to create an ever-changing, challenging, duplicatable, fun, & safe fitness environment that keeps them coming back.
Yoga, Zumba, and Toning classes offer individual ways to increase levels of fitness. Even though these classes are uniquely different, I format them similarly.
We begin each class with a warm-up. Sometimes I surprise them with a circle, a new song, or even lying down. As we progress into the class, I am attentive to the strengths and assists necessary for the whole. Without singling anyone out, I encourage and model correct posture and footing so that we can progress as a group. There is usually an opportunity to allow for free movement to really let the body do its own thing, and get the mind out of the way.
Music is another big part of my classroom experience. When we are engulfed in good music, a party atmosphere is created and we forget the time and any drudgery associated with exercise. This is an important aspect of keeping them engaged and excited about the next session.
All in all, I am happy to proclaim that my personal teaching philosophy involves freedom, fun, challenge, variety, friendships, laughter, fitness, and an all ‘round effective, good time, which leads us to cheer, “I feel Great!” at the close of each class.
How lucky I am!

3 comments:

  1. Great work! The blog is already looking excellent!

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  2. Great job - are students are lucky to have you!

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  3. oops - our students are lucky to have you! the downside of blogging too fast!

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Do you exercise weekly, or weakly?