As summer vacation in Arizona comes to a close, it brings cause to reflect. This was one of the best summer's yet! This June was full of some returning and some new students who came out to learn to play tennis! It seemed as if the students came out of the woodwork for our June offerings. Our offerings this summer were Learn to Rally for ages 5-8, a Beginner class for ages 8-10, a class for ages 11-14, and the Parent and Me classes. We use the progressive teaching model with low compression balls, modified courts, gradual release of responsibility method, and cooperative learning strategies.
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| Learn to Rally 2019 |
We had an overflowing class in June and sometimes that can mean chaos with this age group. It wasn't and our system allowed for students to develop pre-rally and rally skills using cooperative learning games. I especially love to watch how some of the students who struggle in the first week suddenly become experts by the end of the session. Students could not wait to come to tennis. They were always asking to play certain game ad their favorite part. We even learned a few magic tricks along the way.
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- Parents and kids teaching each other the palm down in the rolling rally
Parent and Me ages 5-8
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Another hi-lite of our summer program is the Parent and Me classes. We offered two age ranges this year. This is such a special time as families get to spend time with each other. In these sessions they develop stronger communication skills because they are teaching each other through cooperative drills.
We had students come from all over the valley and even from out of state. On our last day of our July session we had a special visit from Darnell McDonald of Svasport and the Chicago Cubs. Darnell shared his story and talked with our students about being in the moment and a better way to look at failure. The students walked away feeling encouraged and inspired. This was truly one of the best summers I have had. It was emotional to see it come to a close, but joyful in knowing that we are doing what we are supposed to be doing.
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