Teaching Experience

I have skated my whole life but have never taught anyone this formally, but last year, on Dec 28th, I had my first experience teaching autistic children skating and it was one of the most eye-opening experiences I have had.

I have trained for singles skating all my life and have never experienced what it was like to grow with someone else. All the time in my life,  I have been told to do everything for the best of myself and my own benefits, but teaching someone else? I have never thought about it initially and have never even thought that I would have the patience and skills to do so. But, after me trying out coaching the children under the Macau Special Olympics, I found out a few things about skating and sports—it is okay to slow down in life, it is okay to follow your current state of experience and circumstance. I oftentimes feel like if I don’t stick to my goals and what I planned for myself, I will be off track and falling behind, but one girl I coached suggested otherwise—she did not “follow my instructions” immediately which at first confused me and made me feel like I was too demanding but she also showed me that I could also have the chance to slow down and let myself breathe. She might skate away for a while and not come back, or not do what I told her at all, but she looked happy and satisfied with what she was doing. I was aware to not be so hard on them and to not expect them to be immediately receptive of what I say (this might sound “deceiving” but it is what a lot of people would “warn” others about communicating to people with autism). Sometimes, that might be true, but other times, they are often more likely to follow what you tell them more than you may expect. 

Sometimes, we might see ourselves falling behind on our progress or plans because we are not meeting certain standards or criteria, but just remind ourselves, it is okay to not always stick to what is written—our lives always have some sort of improvisation~ :)