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I’m lucky enough to have had experience in classroom teaching. Teaching ultimately wasn’t my final destination, but just a stop along my storied journey. Not only did I learn a lot about myself, but I actually learned some amazing time management and focus strategies that I thought I’d share! I had the idea for this blog post after several conversations with fellow polers who were saying things like:

If this sounds like you, I gotchu! One of the best things I learned how to do throughout my time teaching was self-discipline, self-motivation, goal-setting, and time awareness. You have to lead by example and being that I was a middle school teacher for half of my teaching tenure, I had a lot to teach these kids about how to manage their time effectively (especially during pandemic teaching). So if you feel lost, try this roadmap:

We’re all different and we all learn differently! Modern education is/was having a moment with individualized teaching, and it’s for the better (if they don’t screw anything else up in the education sector, that is [however that’s a rant for another time]). Teachers are actively encouraged to get to know their students’ learning styles and to curate projects that work for them. We like to think that adults are so much different than kids, but really we aren’t; we’re all human. With that, it’s imperative that adults and children alike know how best they learn. Take this test linked here to find out your Myers-Briggs personality designation, and they’ll tell you how best to utilize your learning style.

Now that you know your learning style, it’s time to put it to good use. I’m an INFJ, and I work best with words. What that means for me is that I’m the “okay, slow down, and let me write all of this down word-for-word so when I practice it I can remember” poler. Thus, I created my very own “Pole Bible” with the names of tricks I learned separated into categories, complete with how-tos. Yours doesn’t have to be as intricate or as text-based as mine, but I highly encourage you to have some form of “I know how to do all of these different moves”, so that you don’t forget all the cool shit you can do! It’s kind of like using a thesaurus, I know that I know all of these words (i.e., “fantastic” instead of just “really great”) but I forget that I know them! With your Pole Bible, you won’t ever forget anything that you learned. 

If you aren’t a words person like me, don’t worry! You can try…

• An album on your cloud of saved videos that include you or your instructor executing a move, transition, combo, or anything else

• A playlist of saved YouTube videos with your favorite combos

• Saved Instagram videos of your favorite moves or tricks

The bottom line is that you should ultimately have something somewhere that documents all the amazing things that you can do. Whatever your learning style is, there’s definitely a “Pole Bible” out there for you! Not sure how to start with your own learning style? Don’t hesitate to shoot me a message on any social media platform! I’m sure with your creativity and my past teaching experience, we can find something that’s exactly right for you.

Think hard about what you’ve been really struggling with, and use your newfound “Pole Bible” to help you! You know your limits and how long you usually practice for; my standard time is about an hour. I’ll write down 3–4 goals for a session, along with freestyles, to make sure I don’t skimp on those either. My usual goal list looks something like this:

• Warm-up

• Conditioning: Choppers, Meathook, Shoulder Mount Preps

• Tricks: Shi Shi Spin, Side Saddle Superman, Violator

• Freestyles!

• Cool-down

In essence, it’s almost a mini-lesson plan for how I want to spend my time “in class” today. If you feel yourself deviating from this list, don’t worry, improvisation is definitely a trick of the teaching trade, but don’t lose yourself too much; remember why you’re there. I’ve found Google Keep particularly useful for this, since I can download the app on my phone, and take a look at my quick notes right then and there when I practice.

I know this goes without saying, but honestly sometimes choosing what to vibe to for a session is the most difficult! Try and curate a list of playlists for all occasions: silliness, flow, trick training, high upbeat songs, low flow and sexy songs, potential show or competition songs, or anything at all. I’ve got a playlist that’s called “Face Down, Ass Up” with songs specifically about the booty. Seriously. Taking the time to do this will take some of the stress off of your sessions.

I know this goes without saying, but honestly sometimes choosing what to vibe to for a session is the most difficult! Try and curate a list of playlists for all occasions: silliness, flow, trick training, high upbeat songs, low flow and sexy songs, potential show or competition songs, or anything at all. I’ve got a playlist that’s called “Face Down, Ass Up” with songs specifically about the booty. Seriously. Taking the time to do this will take some of the stress off of your sessions.

When I practice, I will usually record my entire session. Yes, it eats up a lot of storage space, yes sometimes it’s difficult, and yes, some of the recording may be just you laying on the ground, breathing in and out and trying not to die and regretting your life choices, but there have been so many times this has saved my ass. Times when I landed a trick (and haven’t since, and I want proof it happened). Times when I hurt myself and I can go back and figure out what happened. Times when I did something incorrectly (or correctly) and I can review the footage to see what I was doing right or wrong.

It was initially hard to find a camera that I liked, but I’ve since landed on the DJI Pocket 2 after some research and questions with experts from r/videography on Reddit. This has been the best camera I’ve used so far; it is able to record the entire scope of the pole up and down, as well as my floorwork. It uses facial recognition software to track movements, although if you aren’t staying facing the camera it tends to “lose” the subject (and we pole dancers love our dynamic movements and pirouettes). Besides that, it’s amazing quality for a decent price, and you can’t argue with that. 

I hope at least some of these tips from a former teacher were helpful to you! Stay strong, my polers, you got this! May you find the focus you’ve been lost without.