Beth Schneider September 24, 1997

SED 481

for Jacque Ensign

progress reports by my son, my golf teacher

First Journal Entry:

The worry and anticipation of having my twelve-year-old son teach me a "skill" was worse than the actual event. Although my son has taught me many, many things by merely being who he is and by having watched him grow up, having him instruct me required a certain mental role-reversal.

My first lesson in learning how to play golf involved going to the backyard with my son, Michael, and two golf clubs. Once we were settled on the grass, Michael proceeded to show me the proper way to stand. He spoke his directions clearly and simply as he visually set himself as a model for me to copy. He of course made it look so easy, but when I tried to imitate him, I could tell right away that it was not going to be nearly as easy as it looked. There were so many things to remember at once that I had to ask him to repeat it all again, and do it slower. We started over again, this time from the bottom up, literally: feet in position first, then knees bent slightly. Once I was okay with that, he took a golf club and told me to hold it. He also took a golf club, stood beside me, and proceeded to show me the proper positioning of the hands on the club. He was very precise about this, and explained that at first, it might feel a little uncomfortable, but you get used to it. This made me feel better about holding the club, because it did feel uncomfortable! As I was beginning to relax a little, thinking, "This isn't so bad", he said, "Okay, now let's see how you swing." Well, I swung, and knew right away it wasn't a very good one. He did not criticize my swing (which is what I was expecting), but smiled and said instead, "I just wanted to see where we need to begin and what we need to work on." He then showed me how he stands and swings in slow motion. He did this two or three times, and then I tried it again. I, however, was having a very difficult time getting my hands and feet and hips and head and the golf club to work all at the same time. It was, needless to say, extremely frustrating from the very start. I took a deep breath, and thought, "I will NEVER be able to do this." I suppressed any outward sighs and moans or groans (he was, after all, my son, and I was trying to be a "good" student and role model at the same time, trying not to let him see me get completely discouraged so quickly and easily, as I'm always telling him not to do). I think he was sensitive enough to know, probably by the look on my face, that I was having problems, so he came over and stood behind me. He said, "Here, let me show you", and he did. He placed his hands on top of mine and we swung the club together. Once again, it seemed so easy when he did this with me, but when I tried it again by myself, there really wasn't much, if any, improvement at all. I tried swinging again and again, with Michael giving me constant instruction, doing it slowly and carefully, trying to remember all the things he said. I still couldn't get it, and this time I simply couldn't suppress a loud groan. Michael just laughed, and said, "Don't worry. It takes time, but you'll get it. I went through the same thing when I was learning. Just relax." Deep down inside, I just wanted to give up, but having heard this from someone who seemed so much more confident, knowledgeable, and secure about his ability than I made me feel immediately better. I took a deep breath and decided with his help, I was going to stick with this and learn how to do it. We continued practicing the motions of swinging, all the while Michael issuing direct statements to improve my movements. It still seemed a lot to remember and do, and do right, but I started at least to relax a little and concentrate on my form. After ten minutes or so, Michael introduced a plastic golf ball for me to try and hit. This began another bout of frustration on my part because, to put it quite simply, I couldn't hit it. Michael told me to keep trying, and eventually, the head of my club came down and actually hit the ball a few yards. We both were very happy. We continued our lesson for a little while longer, with not much improvement, and then called it quits.

Michael was really very helpful in his instructional hints and encouragement. He repeated his instructions many times over, he offered physical proximity, he set examples for me to follow. He never spoke condescendingly, or too quickly. He was very patient and understanding and sympathetic. He was always reassuring and kind, and because of all these reasons, I was not intimidated by him or afraid of him. He himself has recently learned the game of golf, and is still taking lessons, so the newness and frustrations of learning it are probably not yet forgotten. There was really nothing he said that slowed my performance, but a few technical terms he used that I didn't know the meaning of, and a few, "No, no, no,no, no" s, even though they were said with a smile or a laugh, made me feel silly and a bit uncomfortable, made me feel like a real "klutz". Most of the feelings I experienced during and after the lesson had to do with the frustration of not getting my body to physically do what I should do and what I wanted it to.

Even though I felt discouraged after the lesson, Michael assured me that with practice and patience, it would get easier and begin to get better with each lesson. And, even though those words sounded awfully familiar (hadn't I said the very same sort of thing to him countless number of times?!), it felt good to hear he had confidence in my ability, and I thought maybe this won't be so hard after all!

Lesson #8:

CONTENT:

This being my last lesson, Michael suggested I try hitting the ball a little harder to get some more distance on the ball, and to remember to always remain as relaxed as possible.

HELPFUL:

My teacher was very good-natured at this lesson. Whether that was because he knew he wouldn't have to try to teach me how to play golf anymore, or because he really liked hitting balls at The Golf Club, or because he was just in a good mood, I do not know. Whatever the reason, we had a little fun hitting balls. He and I each got our own bucket of balls, and he suggested we both take separate greens and just hit away. I was on my own! He was right next to me and could easily see where each of my balls were hit, but still, it was fun.

NOT HELPFUL:

I think that since I felt I was not making massive strides in improving my golf game, I was a little impatient and eager for this project to end. I do not think I'll play golf much in the future, it really does not hold my interest. Knowing the end was in sight, my concentration and attentiveness was probably not all it should have been, but it did make me feel more relaxed.

FEELINGS:

I will admit that I was looking forward to not hitting golf balls for a while after this final lesson. Now that I had learned the basic technique, however, I could see myself this Spring hitting balls at the driving range. It was nice to know that if I wanted to, I could hit balls without looking silly. Being on my own for a while made me feel independent, competent, and regular. I still did not look like an experienced golf player, but at least I felt like one. Michael came over to watch me after a while, and seemed to think I was doing fine. He thinks I have greatly improved since our first time out in the backyard, but it doesn't feel all that different to me. I know that the only way to get good at something is to practice, but I still found golf a very frustrating sport to learn. When I mentioned this to Michael, he said I could have one hundred lessons and still not feel much less frustrated than I do now. He said it just takes time and patience and practice to get better little by little. This was nice to hear, and I mentally gave professional golfers a lot of credit for sticking with such a frustrating sport. Having had these lessons, I felt more confident in my swing, able to hit the ball, and realize what I was doing wrong, and sometimes able to correct my mistakes. Michael's words of advice would float around in my head as I tried to correct myself and improve. At least I now knew what to do and how to do it, even if it wasn't even close to being perfect.

When I watch children in school or in sports, I tend to feel very badly for the ones who are having a difficult time. My natural instinct is to try and help. Having felt like a true "klutz" with these golf lessons has made me even more aware of the high levels of frustration, anger, depression, and apathy that might occur for children with learning disabilities. It has also given me hope and determination that with the right kind of attention and instruction, these children might also be able to feel successful and confident about their abilities as learners and as human beings.

INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATION PROGRAM

Student: Beth Schneider Date: Sept. 18, 1997

1. Present Levels of Performance

a. Student has no prior knowledge or experience of the physical or mental skills needed to learn the game of golf.

b. Student is performing at 0% capability levels.

c. Exhibits poor coordination with golf club, both holding and swinging, and stance is unstable.

d. Needs to hear directions repeated 5 to 6 times.

2. Goals

Student will successfully master the game of basic golf.

Objectives

1. Student will be able to properly hold golf club.

2. Student will be able to maintain proper stance for stable swing.

3. Student will be able to hit golf ball at least 75 yards in a straight line.

4. Student will be able to follow directions without repetition.

3. Special Services or Accomodations

a. Direct one-on-one instruction for 30 minutes once a week on proper mechanics.

b. Individual practice time five times a week for 10 minutes.

c. Repeat instructions until no longer necessary.

d. Positive reinforcement.

e. Proximity and touch control.

f. Bi-weekly verbal feedback to student.

4. Extent to Which Child is in Regular Education Classroom

Student is to receive private one-on-one instruction, and will therefore spend no time in any classroom.

5. Extent Included in State Assessment Programs

No state testing required.

6. Dates

For start: September 16, 1997

For Review: October 16, 1997

October 30, 1997

November 16, 1997

a. Within one month, student will function at 60 % capability level.

b. Within one and a half months, student will function at 85%

capability level.

c. Within two months, student will function at 100% capability level.

7. Assessing Progress

a. Instructor will observe progress rate at weekly lesson times.

b. Instructor will measure progress rate for improvement with how student hits golf ball with club.

c. Instructor will summarize student's progress at beginning, middle, and end of instruction with three written paragraphs.

d. Student will keep weekly journal for self-assessment and discussion with instructor containing the content of each lesson, what was helpful, what was not helpful, and what her feelings are about this activity.

8. Reporting To Parents

Not applicable.

Advance Organizer Worksheet

Name: Beth Schneider

Date: 10/3/97

What is the Major Activity? To hit golf balls at the driving range. Also, to read two magazine articles and watch two golf videos.

What is the Content for the Lesson This Week? First, we will go to the driving range, get a bucket of balls, and hit them. Doing this will enable us to see how far or if the backyard practicing has allowed any and what kind of progress. I am also to read two articles from golf magazines, and watch two videos on golf.

What Do I Need To Do? I need to try to hit the ball about 25-50 yards from the tee. I need to read 2 articles from the "Private Lessons" section of the August 1997 issue of Golf Magazine entitled "Mechanics and Feel", pp. 112-113, and "Keep the Flex", pp. 114-115. I am also to read Chapter 1: "The Basic Swing" from The Golfer's Bible, pp. 1-15. The videos to be viewed are The Little Green Video: Harvey Penick's Private Golf Lessons and Leslie Nielson's Bad Golf Made Easier.

What Do I Need To Learn? Basically, I need to learn that I CAN hit the ball, and that playing golf is not as hard as it seems to me right now. I also need to have more confidence in myself, and to feel more relaxed during the lessons.

What is the Important Vocabulary?

Seven iron

Wood

Shank

Slice

Hook

Beach

Chipping

When is This Due? 10/10/97