Myths of Aerial Teacher Part 2 of 3

By Julianna Hane


Last time:  In Part 1, we discussed how weekend courses in aerial teaching offer lots of great info, but the full journey into teaching must extent beyond that week for it to have any meaning at all.  
(If you missed Part I, click here). 

Today, we get to bust:
Myth #2:  You can teach first-time students the same skills you learned in your first class.
This was probably the first lesson I learned in aerial teaching.  When I began studying aerial fabric back in 2005, I travelled far and wide to take private lessons because aerial studios were not a “thing” yet.
The skills I learned in my first lesson, while appropriate for my abilities at that time, were not appropriate for most of the students I ended up training. When I opened my studio in 2008, students poured in from all walks of life and I loved it!  But I realized that the skills I had originally learned had to be broken down into even smaller chunks to serve my students.  

I learned to do this the hard way – by teaching, and then noticing when students seemed lost or frustrated. Whenever a student hit a roadblock, I had to instantly come up with a better way of presenting that skill.  If you have ever taken an improvisation class, then you understand the roots of my teaching practice – responding in the moment.

Luckily, I could read people pretty well and had lots of ideas for breaking down skills.  I noticed how my students revealed their hang-ups, and responded to them.  I wasn’t perfect, but I began developing a series of progressions that turned into a larger curriculum. 

Many years later, I am still experimenting with different teaching methods.  I am finding better ways of presenting concepts, and am reaching more people as a result.  Aerial teaching is the best puzzle – it never gets boring. 

But what if I don’t have time to develop my own progressions from scratch?
Here’s the good news:  you don’t have to reinvent the wheel!  Rebekah and I have worked on building a 
full certification program to share the methods we have developed over many years of teaching.  Our big goal is to support the growth of the field through teacher education.

We are absolutely passionate about teaching, and would love to work with you.