Q: My class will be having its first on-ice session soon. How should I prepare my students?

A: The Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation seeks to complement your hard work in the classroom.  To that end, please use this experience to help underscore the lessons you are already teaching your students.  Examples include:

• Discussing with your students how important hard work and cooperation are for achieving success in all endeavors, including academics, athletics, and life.
• Using your students' excitement about their upcoming on-ice sessions to help them focus on other subjects.  In the past teachers have done this in the following creative ways:
  • Having students write about hockey or skating
  • Using hockey in math problems
  • Utilizing hockey to learn about geography (e.g. locations of professional and Olympic teams)

Q: Do the students need to bring anything with them on practice days?

A: Just a willingness to try their best and have fun.  The Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation provides all of the equipment students need.  You may, however, want to tell students to avoid wearing baggy clothes on practice days as they make it more difficult to wear equipment properly.

Q: What will I do during the session?

A: We encourage teachers to be as involved in the practice session as possible.  This includes helping students put on their equipment before practice and serving as a presence on the ice during practice (even if you decide that you would like to watch from the bench).

We have found that the teachers' enthusiasm helps to motivate students and alleviates some of the anxiety they might experience stepping on to the ice for the first time.