Every Thursday I teach Beginning jazz, hip-hop, and ballet to 4-5 year olds. It's very new to me because I have never taught children so young...I have never taught children period. Today, however I felt much more confident than last week. Most of the kids willingly went into the dance room and were excited to start. I started them off with some very simple and basic stretches then jumped right into the hip-hop. It was probably the only time I ever found little kids with attitudes adorable. I had them cross there arms over their chests, stomp there feet, and nod there heads.
After 30 minutes of stretching and hip-hop I started basic jazz. I learned from last week trying to teach the kids terminology such as, chasse and shanae mean nothing to them. So instead I had them "skip in the field", "leap over puddles", and "turn like the wind". This was much easier for them to understand. Then came ballet.
I had all the kids migrate to the ballet bar. Now no matter what kind of bar it is, in the children's mind it is looked at as, a monkey bar. My 20 minute bar schedule turned into 5 minutes of telling them not to climb on it, 3 minutes of "I'm thirsty", 5 more minutes of explaining how to turn out your feet, the remaining 7 was rushed plies, releves in 1st and 2nd position.
Despite the ruined schedule, mixed terminology, and rushed timing, the class went very well and I enjoy teaching them as they teach me.
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Hi! I found your blog from your mother. How wonderful! I am also a teacher and learn so much from those I teach. I am writing 365 lessons, so we have something in common with 365. It's a challenge, but I like it. I'm following you here.
ReplyDeleteAh, Life is a perpetual cycle: I helped raise you since you were 8 years old. I have seen you skip in the fields, leap over puddles, and turn like the wind... and play duck-duck-goose at your old elementary school... when you were thirteen... at one o'clock in the morning when you were supposed to be spending the night at a friend's house! It made me thirsty for a bar too.
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