Fighting Fear
"Fighting Fear: 4 of the most common emotional hurdles for beginning teachers--and how to clear them with grace and ease."
After spending years mastering your dance technique in class, you start to assist your favorite instructor or mentor. Pretty soon, you are asked to substitute teach at the hottest studio in town. Finally, you land a permanent position.
It's common at this point to begin having feelings of doubt and experiencing a loss of self-confidence. You might, for example, start feeling guilty for spending less time with your friends and family, or start encountering an intimidating sense of resentment on the part of your peers. What happens when these fears get so overwhelming that you want to stop teaching altogether? Here's how to overcome some of the common emotional roadblocks encountered by beginning teachers--and how to avoid stumbling over them at any point in your teaching career.
Four fears include: Being the Center of Attention, Appearing Selfish, Starting a Career in the Arts, and Rejection. Their solutions can be found in the Sept issue of Dance Teacher Magazine along with three teachers who share how they found solutions to their deepest fears. The teachers who told their stories are Lonne Moretton, ballet teacher, Shea Sullivan, tap teacher, and Kim Grier, Modern Dance teacher.
Here are excerpts from the teachers. Lonne Moretton, ballet teacher and Zena rommett Floor-Barre Ballet Technique instructor in NYC says: Early on in my teaching--ballroom, jazz and ballet--I had this anxiety and fear that I was not going to be able to back up what I was teaching with reasonable explanations as to why I chose to teach certain things the way I had. I was just doing and following what I was taught by my teachers. When students questioned me, I worried I wasn't expert enough to help them become professional dancers. I had planned every class, every single step of the way, to help, but it didn't make me feel confident. Even thought I had studied with some of the best teachers, such as Maggie Black and Marjorie Mussman. I went to NYU to get my master's degree in dance, where I studied intensely with Lawrence Rhodes. My education gave me the knowledge and confidence I needed to teach. It filled in the gap I was experiencing and changed my life as a teacher.
Shea Sullivan, Choreographer and tap teacher, NYC, says: It was just last year that I started to doubt my abilities as a teacher and feel judged and watched by my colleagues, even though I had never felt that way before. I wasn't about to give up the years of hard work I had put into my career as a film and theater choreographer and dance instructor so I took the necessary steps to build on my strengths. I pulled theater tap and rhythm tap together in order to realize my style more. My preparation for teaching is different now, too. I prepare for all of my classes. Now I find myself experiencing a different kind of joy in preparing. It's a satisfying process. I had a growth spurt. At the end of the day, I'm a better teacher for it.
Kim Grier, Artistic Director, choreographer and teacher, NYC, says: One of my greatest challenges when I started teaching was getting boys to participate in a mixed dance class and finding ways to get them to understand why dance is healthy and enjoyable. I'd ask myself, "Can I meet this challenge and do what's needed as a teacher to give them a satisfying class?" I felt some anxiety about it. I approached the situation by giving them options, talking to them and letting them know that they could start when they were ready to join in. I'd encourage them to begin to move around and test out dance at their own pace. The reward is getting to see your young students, boys and girls, begin to understand you and what you are saying as a dancer. It is rewarding as a teacher to see your students' talents and specialness shine through. That works for me.
September 2005 Dance-Teacher.com