TEACHING 'ALTERNATIVE' POPULATIONS

As part of my first teacher training curriculum, we were asked to volunteer teach for a minimum of 20 hours.

5 years later (and, who knows how many hours), I am still teaching a class at the Salt Lake County Jail each week (I share this class with another instructor, which makes it much less stressful -- just getting INTO the jail can be filled with stress sometimes). This is a small class; we can fit just 7 in the anteroom of each pod.

Why am I still teaching it? It is one of the more rewarding classes I teach.

When I started, Jail personnel encouraged us to teach the male prisoners (women are too manipulative in that setting). The men are cooperative and appreciative, and - we've discovered - some of them really get it.

For example, the prisoner (huge and covered with tattoos) who questioned my sequencing one day; pointing out that if I reversed the order of poses, their balance and opening would be better(!!!). Guess he 'got it'.

Anyway, what is my point? This experience has given me a new slant on teaching. Part of my restriction in the Jail is that I cannot under ANY circumstances touch the prisoners. In a 'regular' class, my tendancy is to want to physically adjust (maybe, too much). In Jail, that is not possible, so my adjustments must be verbal. If a pose (i.e. handstand) requires assistance, then I recruit another prisoner to do the assisting. This requirement has improved my verbal instruction and is a great skill to have in my arsenal of teaching tools.

In my public classes, it has also taught me to stand back, look at the whole student, watch the development of the pose and - so long as no 'danger' is apparent - maybe not physically adjust until the pose has grown from the student's own effort.

Got to go answer a 'Facebook' friend request -- what is the purpose of Facebook, anyway? I'm staying low-key until I figure it out.

Take care,