Cycling BC HopOn school and summer coach Jaydin Haskins joined our instructor team in 2022 through a University of Victoria COOP work term. Jaydin’s passion for mountain biking and his ability to learn quickly helped him take on leadership responsibilities and make teaching biking in gym class a lot of fun!
During the summer, Jaydin also pursued professional development opportunities to achieve PMBIA Level 1 instructor certification and his Class 4 driver’s license, building his CV for future work opportunities.
Continue reading about the highlights and learning moments of Jaydin’s season with Cycling BC’s HopOn program.
August 2022
Hello Readers,
In my opinion, the HopOn program has many strengths.
- First, the pre-season training adequately prepared instructors for the in-school portion of the program. The online delivery of the Community Theory course allowed HopOn instructors to meet one another and learn the content together. The Basic Skills and HopOn Orientation training days also provided valuable hands-on learning opportunities for new instructors.
- Second, the HopOn curriculum is easily applied to the in-school program. The curriculum was designed with this in mind. Still, after a season of instructing HopOn, it is clear that the curriculum offers an attainable progression of skills for riders of many abilities. The many skills and games within the curriculum allow the instructor to alter their lesson plan in response to the riders’ skill levels, terrain, weather, number of instructors, and the length of the session.
- Third, the in-school program was exceptionally organized. For example, in late April, I was sent a schedule of the in-school program that included the physical address, contact names and numbers, essential notes, length of the sessions, and start/finish times. This schedule was accurate and helped me plan my lessons and be punctual in my arrival and setup at the school.
- Fourth, the HopOn Manager (Ben) was always available via text or phone and encouraged communication.
Season Highlights
Although there were challenges throughout the season, the highlights and unique opportunities made my overall experience enjoyable and rewarding.
- First, interacting and instructing children was equally challenging and fulfilling. During the initial few weeks of the HopOn program, I gained confidence and composure and felt I could more adequately deliver the program in the manner it was intended to be. Each school also had challenges (terrain, weather, skill levels) that forced me to be creative and dynamic in my approach.
- Second, I appreciate that I could pursue my Class 4 driver’s license and PMBIA 1 instructor certificate during my paid work hours. These were two valuable experiences that will help me in the future.
- Third, the colleagues I had the opportunity to work with enhanced my experience. This includes all Cycling BC staff, local event and race organizers, VYCE staff and volunteers, and the coaches from Nolan Riding. In general, being introduced and integrated into the cycling community within Victoria is something I appreciate and a definite highlight of my time with Cycling BC.
- Fourth, my VYCE camp experience was a significant highlight. Compared to instructing and interacting with younger children during the school seasons and summer camps, I found engaging with the teenagers at VYCE more difficult. Nevertheless, spending a week with teenagers and observing their cycling skills, behaviour, and social tendencies was educational. Following the VYCE camp, I feel more confident working with and instructing children of all ages.
- Fifth, I enjoyed the many different roles and responsibilities. Working with many diverse groups (e.g., kids aged 7-12 at Westshore, kids aged 6-13 in Duncan, and youth aged 10-17 at the VYCE camp) allowed me to change my approach and structure lessons and activities according to the particular group.
- Sixth, instructing biking was an absolute privilege. Before this HopOn instructor position, I had no formal experience instructing or teaching children. This position allowed me to verbalize, demonstrate, and sometimes deconstruct my understanding to teach cycling skills to children.
- Importantly, I learned that teaching others relies upon more than your understanding.
- It also relies upon your explanations, delivery, demonstrations, appearance (i.e., professional), demeanour, enthusiasm, and behaviour.
- In this way, instructing children became a valuable learning resource for me.
Overall, I am genuinely grateful that I had the opportunity to work as a HopOn instructor for Cycling BC in Victoria this summer. I found the four-month work term challenging, educational, and fulfilling. I plan to continue developing as an instructor and positively influence children and teenagers through sports.
Jaydin Haskins
***
Learn more about becoming a HopOn instructor at cyclingbc.net/hopon