Yesterday we had our first testing for our youth lesson students. Our first group of students did some of the Level One achievements.
- Ceana, Level One ‘Grooming’, ‘Basic Tack’ and ‘Intro to Riding’
- Giana Level One ‘Grooming’ and ‘Intro to Riding
- Jacey Level One ‘Grooming’, ‘Basic Tack’ and ‘Intro to Riding’
- Paige Level One ‘Grooming’
I wanted the testing program to be a combination of the badge program in Scouts and belt testing in martial arts. I wanted this to be a non-competitive way for students to take a more structured interest in what they should be learning out at the barn, especially non-riding topics. I also wanted it to be a way for interested parents to see what we are attempting to teach, laid out in a logical written form, and as a way for me to have a peer (the examiner we hire) to give me some feedback on how the students are doing.
An interesting thing I notice was how the 4 students all, at one point or another in their testing, locked up. It reminded me of 4H how they have speaking projects, and how getting kids to share their knowledge with others is yet another way to build their confidence. We’ll have to work on that, gals. :)
I look forward to having these a few times a year and really believe it is going to benefit our lesson program tremendously! :)
Thank you Paula for being our examiner, Melissa for leading (so I could stay out of the process) and thank you Brian for being the grill master.