How do you actually keep your finger on the pulse of where every student is at? Mixed levels. Mixed ages. Everyone working on something different. It is HECTIC. And honestly? When you've got a lot of kids, you start to forget what they can do, what they've accomplished, and what they're working on next. Here's what I've found works best: SPARKLY STAR STICKER CHARTS. I cannot believe what my senior acrobats will do for that sparkly sticker. They LOVE it. AND it solves the assessment problem at the same time. Here's how it works: ✅ Every student gets their own chart ✅ The chart shows what they're working on, what they've done, and where they're going ✅ When they get a trick, they put a sticker on the chart ✅ Everyone in class can be working in the same trick FAMILY at their own level 📌 Heads up: the first three or four weeks are chaos. Everybody is trying to figure out where they are in the system and earn as many stickers as they can. After that, it calms right down — they get a trick, sticker goes on, you carry on. Here's the magic of trick families. Say we're all working in the cartwheel family: ✅ Square cartwheel ✅ One-arm cartwheel ✅ Open cartwheel ✅ Aerial preparation ✅ Aerial I can have a class where everyone is working on cartwheel family — but each student is on their own level. No mishmash. No losing track. Every kid is progressing as they're ready, AND I always know what comes next for each of them. If you know what comes before and after a trick inside a family, you always know what to work on next. Sticker charts are your friend. If you don't have them yet, make some up this week. Get the sparkliest stickers you can find. Let your students work towards their goals individually inside the same family the rest of the class is in. Let me know if you try it — and what your seniors will do for a sparkly sticker 😉

Hello and thank you for the warm welcome. I'm looking to hire a new acro teacher. We are in Howell, NJ. If you or someone you know is local and available, I'd love to chat! Thank you!

Once your junior dancers have a strong bridge with good technique, it's time to start adding variations to keep them engaged and challenge their bodies AND brains. Here are 3 fun bridge variations to play with in class: ✅ Circular Bridge ✅ Kneeling Bridge & Recover ✅ Monkey Puzzle Bridge ✅ Circular Bridge Creates beautiful movement that looks great on stage. Perform with or without the recover to standing depending on your dancers' level. 📌 Tip: Train both sides. Kneeling Bridge & Recover: This one doubles as a drill - it teaches your dancers to roll up through their spine one vertebra at a time without sinking into their low backs. Once they've got it, try it on one leg. Monkey Puzzle Bridge: A challenge for the body AND the brain. Tell your dancers where to place their hands and feet BEFORE they go upside down - it gets tricky once inverted. How it works: - Start by replacing the hand with the foot and twisting into a circular bridge - Pick up the opposite hand and foot to face the back - Continue the same motion — always opposite hand to leg, staying in a perfect square 📌 Tip: Train both directions. Start on their dominant side first. Bridge variations keep your dancers excited about a skill they already know - and give them a clear path to progress beyond the basics. Let me know which one you try first in your classes!

As promised - here it is. The Acro Tech Training System is now live! This is the structured between-class training program I've been building for your students — so they have a clear plan to follow at home that actually reinforces what you're teaching in the room. No more guessing. No more random YouTube videos. Just a level-by-level system that builds real strength, flexibility, and control in 10–15 minutes a day. Here's what's inside: 🎯 10 levels of guided training sessions 📋 Structured lesson plans — exercises, sets, reps, in order 📅 Monthly tracking calendars ⚡ New acro variations 2x per month Founding member pricing is open right now at $19/month — locked in forever. Closes Thursday April 16th at 5 PM MDT, then goes to $29. 👉 JOIN HERE See you inside the membership! Miss Melissa _______________________________________________________________________________________ Here's how this works for you — pick what fits: Option 1: Join and use it yourself Get the full program for your own training or professional development. $19/month locked in for life. Option 2: Refer your students and earn 40% recurring commission You don't need to join the paid tier. Join free, grab your referral link from inside, and share it with your students. You earn 40% every month they stay. Option 3: Both Join as a founding member, use it yourself, and refer your students. Your link is waiting inside the moment you join. Not in the community yet? Join free here Want help with exactly what to say to your students and families? Send me a PM and I'll give you the words. 🙌