Free time after teaching my first lesson! 

What went well?
I had 3 lessons this week! My first lesson was with an visually impaired gentlemen whom used to be an avid skier back in the 90s when his eyesight was still well but since then has not been back to the slope. ASW (Adaptive Snowsports Whakatipu) has enabled him to ski down the bunny slope and taught him how to do skidded turns again now feeling the snow better with his boots and regaining that sense of connection to the mountain! My second lesson was with a 19-year-old woman with cerebral palsy from Australia who had come to learn how to ski with her parents and siblings! She had some control over her legs so she was able to ski without the need of the sit ski and just use outriggers! After the lesson we had a group photo with the family and all the instructors who had helped teach to celebrate this momentous occasion for them and to their bright future in skiing (cover image). My third lesson was with a 7 year old child also from Australia who had ADHD. I was successfully able to teach him to pizza and make turns during our lesson. We took many many breaks and snow ball fights during the day to keep him entertained and ready to go!

What could have been done differently?
I thoroughly enjoyed this week with the amount of time I was on the snow :) I have received replies from schools regarding their interests in bringing their special needs students to the mountains soon so I will be getting prepared for that but regarding things to be done differently, I don't think I would change a thing so far :)

What did I learn about myself when working with others?
I learned that I absolutely love to do these Snowsports lessons! It really is everything I love to do but in a job: Snowboard/Ski, teach others the joy of this sport, encourage safe habits, and enable people to do the previously perceived impossible! That shine in their eyes when doing something they thought was just out of their realm just brings me back to the slopes to keep teaching! 

What did I learn about leadership?
Take many breaks. Teaching the lesson takes a lot of energy to keep the student on track and care for them. Also for the student it takes a lot of effort to keep up with what they want to do themselves so the breaks are necessary for them as well. Many of the students forget their bodily limits and needs such as water breaks when chasing that skiing high. 

Additionally... Happy Matariki! (Maori New Years) This is a photo taken in front of the Remarkables mountain from Jacks Point beach at 6:30 pm if anyone ever wants to recreate it down the line lmao. Matariki is apparently a star cluster seen in the sky at this time but I wouldn't be able to point it out if you asked me 😅 Fun fact: in Japan, the same star cluster is called Subaru and is the inspiration behind the car brand's naming.