it was a busy Zumba day for me again yesterday.
i had a half hour demo at the north ayrshire learning disability awareness week celebrations, it was lucky i got there early as it transpired that my slot had been moved forwards and i hadn't been told!
so i walked into the Volunteers Rooms in irvine and OMG - it was SO busy, loads of stalls and LOADS of people!
spotted loads of familiar faces, nursing staff, carers, clients... it was one of those days where i saw loads of faces I knew and struggled to place a few of them. it was nice to catch up with some of the nurses i'd worked with last year, even had one ask about where i was going for my year long 3rd year placement and if i'd consider going back to the north team. chatted to a few service users i'd got to know from my 10 weeks with the north team too, most of them recognised me but couldn't recall where they knew me from.
anyways, we got started with the Zumba, had about 20 starting out, wide variety of ages but generally ability level was a lot higher than tuesday's class so routines were yet again modified to suit the needs of the group.
yet again, some real characters started to stand out, mainly males I must say!! i think I've probably had more men taking part in these 2 classes than most instructors get in a year!! there was a small group of young male service users who i spent an afternoon with while on placement last year who joined in after the first couple of routines despite being all shy initially when i'd asked if they were gonna join in, they really got into it which was a great laugh. it's interesting how i've found from these 2 classes how it's actually been the guys who have really got into it!
about half way through during a water break i got approached by a woman who asked me to find her after i was done so that we could talk putting on some Zumba classes, i assume she must have been from a day services - unfortunately come the end i couldn't track her down, i hope she manages to get my contacts through one channel or another...
so we finished the half hour slot and the physio department took over the floor to do some games, i had a couple of the service user participants come up and chat to me about Zumba, one already goes to 3 different classes and raved about how much she loves it, she even showed me her entry into the artwork competition which was Zumba based! :)
then got approached by a woman who turned out to be Paula, the lady I'm doing the charity class for in july, I had seen her daughter running about (her long flame red hair makes her difficult to miss!) but didn't know she was there herself, so it was nice to put a face to the name. am really looking forward to doing that charity class :)
on the way out I caught up with Lisa, who I'm at Uni with, who had been doing massages all day and looked shattered - i think in general we're all just hitting exhaustion stage now and cannot wait for our holidays in 6 weeks.
then ran into a guy (support worker) who i knew i knew from somewhere but couldn't for love nor money work out where from, he came up to me and pretty much said the same thing - we are both student nurses but in different years... on different branches... at different unis.... so it evidently wasn't that... we ended up backtracking our careers and it transpired we worked at Daldorch (a residential school run by the national autistic society) at the same time, which would be why i found it so hard placing him considering i've not worked there in 4 years, plus i'm pretty sure he worked in a different unit, so knew him as a face in passing but didn't actually know him.
that's one of the benefits and downfalls of having been in so many community placements - you certainly 'get your face known' which is obvs a good thing, esp when it comes to future jobs, but it gets to the stage you know so many people in passing....
I went and picked Caelan up from school in my Zumba attire, which attracted a few odd looks.
I covered a standard class in the evening for Gillian (Zumba Ayr), only 6 people turned up but to be honest i wasn't really expecting a huge turnout, according to Gillian it's never usually a huge class and between those going to see take that, those who decided not to go considering it was a cover instructor and those who made the most of the sun... but it was a reasonable class, had a range from those pretty much brand new to Zumba to one who had evidently been going for a long time, but i'd say most of the participants fell into the first category so i kept things quite simple and added more empahsis and flavour slowly throughout the routines, letting them get the hang of the basics before adding the umph, the lady who'd evidently been going a while just gave it welly throughout once she knew what step went where, which was fine by me.
this was my first hour long class, so this one for me was the real test, especially so as it was my 2nd class of the day added to the fact i wasn't feeling all that well.
i survived the class, managed to get it pretty much bang on to the hour and everyone left sweaty and smiling, so i think i did OK.
i had one of the ladies stay and speak to me at the end, saying how it was only her 3rd class and how she finds it easier to follow when the instructor is facing the same way as them, which I agreed that some routines are a lot easier to follow trickier leg moves when the instructor is facing the same way. i did the whole of baila, menea y goza facing the same direction as the class, as well as stand by me as i knew the legs would be easier to follow in the same facing. she said she's still at that stage where her legs get in quite a muddle but that it's probably just a case of practice - i told her of the number of times i've tripped over my own feet, landed myself on my backside etc when having '2 left feet' days.... i ended up doing a fair stint of the static stretch along side this lady as she was having difficulty working out what leg went where and what leg bent and where you put your weight to get the optimal stretch out of the muscle, which she said she really appreciated.
it made me realise that despite my deep hatred of mirrors, they do serve a purpose - it would have been nice to have faced the same way as the class so that it was easier for them to follow my moves but still be able to see what they were doing - i felt i needed wing mirrors or something!!
i did remember to cue for the most part again too - though for some reason I struggled more with the cuing for this 2nd class.
it does make me laugh, both classes I did cinco letras, both i started off doing the legs very slowly and when i said "shall we take it up a level, go a bit faster?" there was this nervous laughter, but they all managed.
come the end of the day to say i was sore was an understatement, i didn't get a great sleep last night either due to the ache in my legs, but after a day of relative rest they're already feeling a bit better. wine is helping too.
Friday 24 June 2011
Tuesday 21 June 2011
my first EVER class
it's been quite a long time coming, but today I taught my first class
my first class was for staff and service users of a learning disability day service as a part of learning disability week celebrations.
to say I was nervous about my first class could possibly be the understatement of the millenium, i was absolutely BRICKING it.
practice practice practice, that's pretty much all i've done for the past 2 weeks - if you fail to prepare then you prepare to fail and all that jazz. my playlist had changed about 27 times since i got asked to do these classes, there was even a last second substitution last night after a lightblub moment during Lyna's class.
so I arrived at the venue at about 9:45am, class to start at 10, was nervous as hell but once i was in there, said hello to some of the service users and staff and started setting up they all just went away. there ended up being about 20 service users and 10 staff.
i got some background music playing and within seconds half of the service users were out on the floor dancing along, I kinda knew then that most of them were pretty up for this and that in itself eased my nerves a lot. others came up to me and started talking about samba and salsa dancing, evidently it's something they've been talking about at the day services.
just before we started i was approached by the day services manager asking if it was OK to get some photos taken, kinda felt like a celeb for 30 seconds while i posed with the class!
so once the photo session was over with we got started, explained quickly a little about Zumba, how they're not there to learn how to dance so it doesn't matter if they go the other way to me, however they move is perfect etc that they're there to move to the music and to have some fun. brief safety rundown etc and away we went.
it became obvious within about the first 10 seconds of the limbering section of the warm-up that although most were fairly unrestricted physically, cognitive ability level was lower than I had prepared for, so already the old grey matter was planning ahead for the rest of the routines of the class and the modifications i'd need to make. I wouldn't say I needed to take it to Gold level, but for the vast majority of routines they were kept at absolute basic steps level with limited additions of directional changes etc, i deliberately chose routines that had fewer longer sections so the same movement could be repeated over and over, and for the most part i'd say that worked well with this population group.
I was quite surprised as to the routines they found easier to deal with, it ended up being the routines i was sure they'd manage no problem that i ended up having to modify. eg Pegate they managed with minimal modifications to the original routine, yet Do You Dig It was taken right right down to absolute basics only.
my last minute substitution, Para No Verte Mas, ended up probably being the most popular track, I had a wee girl in a wheelchair with obviously quite profound disabilities dancing her wee heart out to this track in particular, it was a sight that would make your heart melt!
i need to remember to add more arms in on the belly dance track for those less able with the legs...
clapping
clapping was a big thing in this class, they all loved a good clap along to the beat and was something those who didn't want to take part in the actual class even joined in with, so ended up putting clapping in anywhere i could!
cardio got to a reasonable level, I certainly worked up a good sweat anyway, but i didn't want to push them too hard - these are people who are generally used to pretty sedate lifestyles, I didn't want to push them too hard and a) scare them off from potentially wanting to go to classes on a regular basis or b) end up having them dying on the dancefloor!!
I remembered to talk to the class- giving praise and words of encouragement, I even remembered to cue (well, for the most part anyway!).
some would possibly say the amount of praise i was throwing out verged on condesending, but I meant every single last word of it. I really do feel they all did fantastically well considering none of them had ever been to a Zumba class before and i was ever so proud of every single one of them for taking part, for showing their ability and unique flair! and believe me, these guys had flair!!
when class was over I had the vast majority of service users approach me and told me how much they enjoyed it, they even presented me with a little gift to say thank you which I was totally not expecting! i did my little speech to say thank you and announced that this was my first ever class, that they made it really special for me and that i'd always remember it for being the most amazing experience. i later had staff approach me and say they were surprised to hear that was my first shot at teaching - so phew, i must have actually done reasonably ok!!
to be honest, i didn't really even care if I was crap (well I did, but...) the point was the service users enjoyed it, and that's what the day was about for me, it wasn't about me trying to prove my abilities to myself or anyone else, it was about encouraging movement (ie exercise) in a population which has a shockingly high rate of obesity due to needless sedentry lifestyles, this was to prove they CAN do it if given the oppertunity to do so.
it was probably the best first class you could wish for, working with a population group who don't judge you, who aren't there with the mindset of being there to get fit, burn calories etc, they're just there to move to the music and have a good time. true exercise in disguise!
i approached the wee girl in the wheelchair and asked her if she had enjoyed it, said that i'd spotted her joining in and how well she did, she didn't have any verbal communication but her face said everything. this was evidently a young woman who loved her music and loved a good boogie and coming to class opened up a whole new world of music to her.
after class we broke for lunch, went down the street for a roll and caught up with the learning disability nurses who i've not seen since my first placement of 1st year (i go back to them next week, I can't wait!).
I was grinning like a loon for probably about 7 hours after the class finished.
then the adrenaline wore off and i crashed- big time... ended up taking to my bed at 5pm and sleeping for 2 hours!
all in all it was an absolutely fantastic experience and i whole heartedly encourage other instructors to approach their local learning disability services about classes.
i learned a lot from today from my wee first class guinea pigs, some modifications to make for my next class on thursday, but i think what i mainly took from today is how completely and totally sure I am that working with people with learning disabilities is just the BEST work in the world, whether it being Zumba or nursing - this it is for me. totally.
my first class was for staff and service users of a learning disability day service as a part of learning disability week celebrations.
to say I was nervous about my first class could possibly be the understatement of the millenium, i was absolutely BRICKING it.
practice practice practice, that's pretty much all i've done for the past 2 weeks - if you fail to prepare then you prepare to fail and all that jazz. my playlist had changed about 27 times since i got asked to do these classes, there was even a last second substitution last night after a lightblub moment during Lyna's class.
so I arrived at the venue at about 9:45am, class to start at 10, was nervous as hell but once i was in there, said hello to some of the service users and staff and started setting up they all just went away. there ended up being about 20 service users and 10 staff.
i got some background music playing and within seconds half of the service users were out on the floor dancing along, I kinda knew then that most of them were pretty up for this and that in itself eased my nerves a lot. others came up to me and started talking about samba and salsa dancing, evidently it's something they've been talking about at the day services.
just before we started i was approached by the day services manager asking if it was OK to get some photos taken, kinda felt like a celeb for 30 seconds while i posed with the class!
so once the photo session was over with we got started, explained quickly a little about Zumba, how they're not there to learn how to dance so it doesn't matter if they go the other way to me, however they move is perfect etc that they're there to move to the music and to have some fun. brief safety rundown etc and away we went.
it became obvious within about the first 10 seconds of the limbering section of the warm-up that although most were fairly unrestricted physically, cognitive ability level was lower than I had prepared for, so already the old grey matter was planning ahead for the rest of the routines of the class and the modifications i'd need to make. I wouldn't say I needed to take it to Gold level, but for the vast majority of routines they were kept at absolute basic steps level with limited additions of directional changes etc, i deliberately chose routines that had fewer longer sections so the same movement could be repeated over and over, and for the most part i'd say that worked well with this population group.
I was quite surprised as to the routines they found easier to deal with, it ended up being the routines i was sure they'd manage no problem that i ended up having to modify. eg Pegate they managed with minimal modifications to the original routine, yet Do You Dig It was taken right right down to absolute basics only.
my last minute substitution, Para No Verte Mas, ended up probably being the most popular track, I had a wee girl in a wheelchair with obviously quite profound disabilities dancing her wee heart out to this track in particular, it was a sight that would make your heart melt!
i need to remember to add more arms in on the belly dance track for those less able with the legs...
clapping
clapping was a big thing in this class, they all loved a good clap along to the beat and was something those who didn't want to take part in the actual class even joined in with, so ended up putting clapping in anywhere i could!
cardio got to a reasonable level, I certainly worked up a good sweat anyway, but i didn't want to push them too hard - these are people who are generally used to pretty sedate lifestyles, I didn't want to push them too hard and a) scare them off from potentially wanting to go to classes on a regular basis or b) end up having them dying on the dancefloor!!
I remembered to talk to the class- giving praise and words of encouragement, I even remembered to cue (well, for the most part anyway!).
some would possibly say the amount of praise i was throwing out verged on condesending, but I meant every single last word of it. I really do feel they all did fantastically well considering none of them had ever been to a Zumba class before and i was ever so proud of every single one of them for taking part, for showing their ability and unique flair! and believe me, these guys had flair!!
when class was over I had the vast majority of service users approach me and told me how much they enjoyed it, they even presented me with a little gift to say thank you which I was totally not expecting! i did my little speech to say thank you and announced that this was my first ever class, that they made it really special for me and that i'd always remember it for being the most amazing experience. i later had staff approach me and say they were surprised to hear that was my first shot at teaching - so phew, i must have actually done reasonably ok!!
to be honest, i didn't really even care if I was crap (well I did, but...) the point was the service users enjoyed it, and that's what the day was about for me, it wasn't about me trying to prove my abilities to myself or anyone else, it was about encouraging movement (ie exercise) in a population which has a shockingly high rate of obesity due to needless sedentry lifestyles, this was to prove they CAN do it if given the oppertunity to do so.
it was probably the best first class you could wish for, working with a population group who don't judge you, who aren't there with the mindset of being there to get fit, burn calories etc, they're just there to move to the music and have a good time. true exercise in disguise!
i approached the wee girl in the wheelchair and asked her if she had enjoyed it, said that i'd spotted her joining in and how well she did, she didn't have any verbal communication but her face said everything. this was evidently a young woman who loved her music and loved a good boogie and coming to class opened up a whole new world of music to her.
after class we broke for lunch, went down the street for a roll and caught up with the learning disability nurses who i've not seen since my first placement of 1st year (i go back to them next week, I can't wait!).
I was grinning like a loon for probably about 7 hours after the class finished.
then the adrenaline wore off and i crashed- big time... ended up taking to my bed at 5pm and sleeping for 2 hours!
all in all it was an absolutely fantastic experience and i whole heartedly encourage other instructors to approach their local learning disability services about classes.
i learned a lot from today from my wee first class guinea pigs, some modifications to make for my next class on thursday, but i think what i mainly took from today is how completely and totally sure I am that working with people with learning disabilities is just the BEST work in the world, whether it being Zumba or nursing - this it is for me. totally.
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