You load sixteen tons, what do you get
Another day older and deeper in debt
Saint Peter don’t you call me ’cause I can’t go
I owe my soul to the company store
– Tennessee Ernie Ford

I’m off to Rutabaga this morning to begin teaching a 2 day progression course. 2 days is a good amount of time to spend with one group of students. You can get a lot done, but what’s more is that you have the time to actually let some of the learning set in. Hopefully as the day goes on the rain will taper off.

So anyway, I was looking through our class paperwork a while back and I was reminded of that bit about instructors arriving a half hour before class to prepare. I thought to myself, “Heck, we’re preparing the night before!”. What am I saying?? Some of us have been preparing for years, and continue to prepare in one way or another everyday of our lives… Half hour..? Wouldn’t that be something!

Of course I’m blowing the half hour bit out of proportion intentionally for the sake of a point. A half hour is really what it takes us to get in, changed and prepped before students begin to arrive at the shop. It’s also the bit we get paid for. The evening before a class though we are already getting organized. I’m sure some coaches simply phone it in after years of experience. I’m not there yet. In fact if anything I try to psychologically take an anti-phoning-it-in” inoculation. Each person in your class deserves their coach to be in the moment paying attention to them as a unique person. Certainly a challenge over time, but also easy to do if you simply keep reminding yourself that for everyone but you this is their FIRST CLASS.

I review my outline before each class. While it has been said that I’m not a by-the-book coach, I still have to organize my madness.   Write  another book maybe?! At the end of the day we all teach the same things and our success is when our students learn what they are there to learn. Being un-orthodox doesn’t help if students don’t get the information they need. So while being a bit off the path in my instruction style, at the end of the day I’ve organized things to cover same fundamentals. Not to belittle un-orthodoxy.. It’s simply a different means to the end… and hopefully one that might ask students to reach a bit further, learn a bit more and send them home tired and falling in love with kayaking.

Then I have to organize my gear. I’m taking my Rockpool. I simply can’t stand on it and there WILL be water in the cockpit by the end of the day. Still for class conditions I want a boat that turns on a dime and rockets through the water. So I’m taking the Bach. Then I load paddles both standard & Greenland, pfds, first aid kit and the rest. Grab clothing of every sort for every sort of weather. For an intro class it’s worth taking a few minutes to show paddle, PFD & clothing options. If you don’t get too long winded. Often this is the first time they will hear of Jacket A or Paddle Type B or whatever. Oh, and tennis balls… Can’t forget those.

Then the next morning I’m up by 6. Few minutes on the computer. A quick glimpse at the outline again. I double check gear knowing I’ll still forget something. Have coffee, usually no breakfast. Remember something for lunch, then jump in the car for the 45 minute drive. If I do it right.. I’ll make it down to Madison a half hour before the class.

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