How Hard Could It Be Anyway? (And Other Observations About Teaching)

This post is inspired by two comments that rocked my day today.  I have at least four hours of work ahead of me as I write this, but THIS cannot wait.  It just cannot wait.  (I'll add my wit and needed details HERE!)

Comment number one came from a site council meeting held after school.  These meetings are attended by parents and teachers who discuss issues and address goals for the school.  We were discussing our desire to expand course offerings in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) without funds (the ongoing issue in education).  New laws allow us to hire anyone with a degree in these areas to teach such courses even if they don't have a background in education. We had an interesting and engaging discussion with valid points being raised on all sides. One of the parents m the group mentioned that she had considered teaching such courses at one point. "You would be great at it," I said. (And she would.  She is that kind of individual.) Then it came: the comment.  "I would consider it," she noted, "but I would have to take a massive pay cut."  (Oh, and did I mention that she works three days a week now?)  Point taken, and I cannot argue with THAT.

Comment number two came from a former student (now a mother of teens) who shared with me a story about volunteering in a kindergarten classroom where her son attended.  A new frazzled teacher in the classroom "yelled" a great deal.  (Well, we all are human, but yelling a great deal at kindergarteners never gets results.) Her point was the following:  This teacher ONLY had students for two and a half hours, and here was the comment, wait for it: "How hard could it be anyway?" I want you to know this is a delightful young woman.  She, along with many within our population, feel much the same way.  How HARD could it be anyway?  This lovely young woman is a physical trainer, so I'm going to put this in language that will help her see just how hard it just might be.

Welcome to WorkOUT World!  

Fitness is our life, so we are happy you are here.  As a new trainer you will be tested and evaluated with a fitness exam your clients will take at the end of this month. Your job is to design workouts (curriculum) that will fit the following needs:

•Intensity level for ALL levels:  You are not designing one workout.  Remember that your workouts need to address ALL of your clients and should accommodate not just their abilities but how they learn best.  That means besides plans that address your specific goals for your clients, you should include plans to address abilities, levels, and learning types.  Some of your clients will wish audio information (concerning your workout plans).  Some will need a printed flyer (with graphics and concise, well-written instructions), and some will need a physical demonstration (either pre-recorded or demonstrated on the spot) of the exercises you are expecting.  These should be prepared at least a week in advance (and placed online) as well as adjusted daily if you do not complete the goal or if your class does not meet mastery with that particular goal. Remember as well, you have six different workout courses to instruct, so this needs to happen for each of those classes.  Your manager will check these plans each week to make sure you are planning correctly.

•Presentation to classes: Keep in mind that you are to meet the needs of ALL clients.  You are to inspire excellence no matter the circumstance.  Remember that your clients might come from busy jobs, broken relationships, and any number of challenging circumstances.  None of this should deter the outcome you achieve.  You will be expected to secure and achieve a 100% effort from each of your clients every day.  Find a way to make that happen.  Without it, your evaluations will reflect your lack of performance.

•Evaluation of your success with clients: You will be judged on how well your clients do the following:
•Lose Weight  Your clients should be rated proficient by our core standards and benchmarks.  Of course we truly expect you to take your clients to a mastery level in weight loss. Any client who fails to do this will be flagged. Too many flagged clients will lead to your termination. This accountability is yours, regardless of how many times your client fails to show for your classes. Absenteeism or other outside factors cannot be your excuse to meet these benchmarks.

•Achieve Mastery for Our Core Goals  A test will be administered each month.  This test is designed by a national norming group and will include such material as the following:
•The Latin word origins for each muscle group addressed by your workouts
•Understanding BMI and calculating BMI in various body types including by not restricted to the clients' body
•Demonstrating mastery of each benchmark
and goals in your preplanned workouts.
•Clients should be able to create, read, and apply various graphs to illustrate their workout achievements, not restricted to plot and whisker graphs, bar or pie charts, and data analysis graphs.

Work in an Ever-Changing Environment  Due to a complex use of our WorkOUT World Facilities, you will be expected to change locations on a last minute notice.  Please note, we cannot guarantee the size of your space, the equipment within, or your access to facilities (if you catch my drift). Be prepared to be flexible!
•At the end of each day at WorkOUT World, you should write a summary evaluation of how each client achieved peak performance.  These evaluations will be placed in a portfolio that you will review with each client. You need to make sure your analysis includes measurable data that you have collected and reviewed. You need to have a clear plan of growth and change for each client.  This conference will be scheduled on your own time.
•At the end of each day at WorkOUT World, you should respond to client correspondence,  Be prepared to meet the demands of the clients. We know that the personal touch is what works best. Face-to-face is preferred, but you must make contact.
•You will be required to attend meetings (on your own time), schedule appointments to conference with clients (on your own time), and plan for upcoming classes (on your own time).  We also will require you to update your training twice a year and maintain your certification levels (on your own time and on your own dime).

WorkOUT World will pay you for a six hour day.  Our beginning instructors receive $13.00 an hour. However, with monthly evaluations by our vigilant managers, you can work your way up to $15.00 per hour!  Opportunities abound!  At the $15.00 an hour level, we will also add recruiting clients to your duties, fundraising, mentoring new instructors, and marketing strategies!

How HARD can it be anyway?  Welcome aboard!






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