Like Riding a Bike...

Learning How to Ride a Bike (the grade-averaged way)...

Here's the experience of my stepdaughter - who learned to ride when she was 6-years old.

• Unit 1: Safety Equipment
• Wear helmet correctly
• Wear closed-toe shoes
• Helmet on backwards and unbuckled, despite being shown.
• Flip flops instead of shoes, despite being told.
• 0 out of 5 pts possible
• Unit 2: Walking a bike
• Walk bike from garage to sidewalk without dropping the bike
• Successfully pulled bike from garage
• Could not turn figure out how to turn bike around
• Walked bike to sidewalk but ran over own feet twice, dropped bike once
• 2 out of 5 pts possible
• Unit 3: Getting on a bike
• Get on the bike without falling or dropping the bike
• Foot caught on seat trying to lift leg over bike.
• Lost balance, dropped bike, fell on top of bike. Cried.
• 1 out of 10 pts possible
• Unit 4: Pedaling
• Start the bike by pedaling from a stop
• Maintain a steady speed
• Needed accommodation for inability to balance - mom held seat
• Completed one revolution of pedals, crossed front wheel, crashed into grass
• On retake actually got bike started but couldn't maintain speed, tipped over into grass.
• 10 out of 20 pts possible
• Unit 5: Steering
• Keep the bike on the sidewalk and off the grass
• Make a left and right turn
• Finally able to maintain speed and keep bike on sidewalk.
• Misjudged turn at corner and crashed into bush. Scratched arm and leg. Cried. Refused to make another left turn - insisted on riding the other direction.
• 25 of 40 pts possible
• Unit 6: Braking
• Slow the bike by applying the brake
• Stop and get off the bike without falling or dropping the bike
•  Able to slow bike but failed to resume pedaling without putting foot down
• Stopped bike too quickly, didn't get foot down fast enough. Tipped over onto sidewalk, skinned knee and heel of hand. Cried.
• 20 of 40 pts possible
• Final Exam: Ride the bike
• Demonstrate all the above plus...
• Ride the bike once around the block
• Could not complete requirement above in the time allotted for the course
• Granted extended time was finally able to ride the bike around the block not once, but seven times, and turned to a stop in the driveway without falling off the bike.
• 30 out of 30 pts (20% of grade) * modified
• Final Grade = E
• 88 out of 150 pts possible = 58.6%
• No extra credit for extra laps on exam.
• No extra credit for effort and courage.
• No extra credit for loving to ride and wanting to go farther and faster.

What do you remember about learning how to ride a bike?

"Life is like a ten speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use."~ Charles Shulz