To expect my dd's trampoline teacher to actually teach them?

[Mrstrumpalot]

First session of trampolining today. Dd's have looked forward to it all summer holidays and when I left them I was surprised there were only 4 children in the session. At least they'll not have to wait long for a turn I thought and they'll get good individual attention.

Anyway collected them an hour later and both of them said the teacher had spent most of her time texting and only occasionally looked up to correct them.
I was all for going straight back in and complaining but dd's said they would be embarrassed, especially as it's an 8 week course and she would know I had complained.

Should I go in next week and actually sit and spectate for a while ( assuming parents are allowed)?
I suspect she won't do it if an adult is watching but how should I approach it if the same thing happens the week after?

Shouldn't have her phone in her hand. Seems like a handy number for her.

I would go and watch..Then speak after the lesson if not happy.

I pulled my daughters out of a trampoline club in similar circumstances - the coach was so busy talking to another parent that in her (my daughter's) 3 minutes, she wasn't watched at all. This happened despite adults watching. I emailed the head coach and made it quite clear why they were moving (safety issues) and she was t bothered as they had a long waiting list ....

In fact if she is sat there on her phone and it is in the l. centre call the manager to see.

Trampolines aren't toys. With only three children 'spotting' then the teacher's attention should be fully on them. H&S let alone the teaching aspect.

My first thought was what if there was an accident and she was sitting texting?
I would have thought in a sports centre set up that they would have been quite strict in not allowing mobile phones to be used at all. If I do end up having to have a word should it be with her or the manager?
Either way my dc are going to feel awkward.

They have trampoline teachers?

I'm a Brownie Guider and I'd never spend a meeting on my phone because I'm there to look after and engage with the kids. And Brownies is a lot less hazardous than trampolining!

My dss friends went to trampoling lessons. They learnt amazing stuff. She should be reaching them a nd supervising them. I would stay and watch.

Quite apart from safety, you're paying her! And it's rude. I would watch next week and complain if it's the same.

Having a phone in her hand while teaching kids is surely a massive safeguarding no no. Talk to the manager

Don't send your DD back there, she isn't safe with that so called 'teacher'. Report her too.

That is definitely not on. She is there to coach and prevent accidents.
Tabbymumz, what do you mean? Of course they have trampoline teachers
Stupid question.

Proper trampoline coaches would be reinforcing H & S rules before the start, and watching each child individually. Kids bouncing on home trampolines are a recipe for a serious injury, don't understand why more parents don't realise this! Well done, OP for making sure your DC are learning the correct way, but certainly make sure that is happening by watching or by notifying the centre manager.

I will stay and see for myself next week as don't just want to take the dcs word for it, although the 12 yr old felt pretty put out that she had been left to her own devices without instructor even watching.
As I said earlier though I can't see the instructor doing it if a parent is sitting watching!

Are you sure the instructor wasn't timing how long each kid was on the trampoline rather than texting on the phone? I agree it sounds bad but unless you see it for yourself, don't complain just yet. Kids very often get it wrong.

You are right Sienna. There have been a few occasions in the past where I would have barged in and made a fool of myself by believing what my dc said before getting the full story first from the other side.

But both dc are adamant that she just sat with her head down texting the majority of the time. It was the first thing they both said when I asked if they had enjoyed it.

Bearing in mind she probably won't do it if I'm sitting watching I may well observe through the little window in the sports hall door next time. It may sound petty but I'm disappointed for the dc that they felt deflated when they came out.

We had this at one gymnastics club and at a 1-2-1 horse riding lesson. I had to pay a fortune for the private lesson as dc has SEN and has high levels of anxiety. The instructor was actually speaking on the phone the whole time. Wish I had have had a backbone back then!

I can't understand how they get away with it.
Mobile phones had to be kept out of sight and not used in all jobs I have had.

Like a poster said earlier, it's basic Health and Safety for a start. Child falls off trampoline.... to instructor " what happened?" Oh I didn't see because I was busy texting!

Yes observe from the window.

Then raise it as a H&S issue as well as asking if they could outline exactly what the 'teaching' you are paying for consists of, given that it manages to magically take place via the medium of someone constantly on their phone.

But, we had this with a gym 'class'.

Ten minutes of half heartedly supporting them doing tumbles etc then 'Free play, children!'

Err, no. I'm paying for you to teach them!

I pulled my daughter from a gymnastics club for the same reason - often kids left to get in with things themselves without proper tuition or safety. The limit for me was seeing children stretching each other's legs to help with splits, which is fine if it's supervised but it wasn't .... I called over a coach who was just milling around, told her and she didn't even look, she just said 'I'm sorry, are you a physiotherapist?' I said no, I'm a doctor and that child is going to end up with a spiral fracture if those other two bounce on her incorrectly any longer .... she went off, had a word with them, and the people meant to be supervising who were in their phones, chatted to the lead coach then actually came back to me and said, rather haughtily 'next one if you have a problem can you ask someone to deal with it who isn't coaching the group, mine, pointing right over the other side of the room, miles away from
Where I originally found her) have had to work on their own because of you' ..... cheeky bitxh .... so I rapidly told her when I saw her she was miles away from her group, wasn't even looking in their direction, and frankly I was appalled by their slapdash attitude to coaching children

That was our last visit to that gymnastics company !! They were on thin ground before that day with me anyway - totallly shitty coaching - unacceptable!

Flumpy, I am glad there are people like you who speak out about issues like that. When I was a dancer, the same thing happened to us, I now have terrible knee problems. They always got older dancers to 'stretch' us and it always really hurt and they never stopped even when the pain was really bad.

My DS trampoline 'teacher' was the same. Not in north London is it?

No charley a million miles away.
But it seems to be a very common occurrence.
I think when I've next got my nursery class I'll just sit texting!
Doubt whether I'd get away with it though.