It's the little girl in the back row, back corner that needs the most help

I've been teaching dance since I was in high school. I've observed a lot of recitals, classes, workshops in my time and it continually amazes me that teachers can do a few simple things in the studio that can make a huge difference to the quality of the dancer's learning experience.

Here are a few tips:

Watch for the student in the back row, in the corner... that will be the student who struggles the most. As a teacher it's imperative that you find away to get that student up front or to the middle of the room. If they are so shy they don't want to step up closer, you must at least move yourself closer to them - demo the steps twice - up front and then move yourself back to their "safe space".

Check for right handed - left handed students. As a teacher it's not always apparrent if a student favors a side. Normally, I always teach a combo to the right foot/side and then we reverse to left. Sometimes students need to learn it first on their strong side from a mental standpoint. Physically they are often balanced but "getting it right" might mean starting on the left for the left handed student. Teachers need to be aware and let the students show their strengths in the best way possible.

Welcome each student at the start with roll call process - make it fun. I like to have students state their name and tell me something else like their favorite color. Talking out loud is important and you can scout out the shy ones that will need more attention quickly with this technique.

Its imperative that you learn their names! Do whatever it takes to memorize the names yourself and make sure any class helpers do too. Avoid calling all of them "sweetie" or "honey" - force yourself to learn the name. If you can't then use name tags.

Repeat what they learned today at the end of class. Do a quick review.

These few teaching techniques will help you have a successful class!

Do what you love! Connect the dots later.

With the passing of Steve Jobs I took some time to look back at his life via all the posts, tweets and stories now circulating. One of the most popular items I found was his commencement address at Stanford University. It was an amazing message to the young graduates. Bottomline: he tells them to do what they love and waste no time doing it because death comes to all. How prophetic that now is.

This week was our first week back in the studio for our Dance Academy. I'll admit every single year I ask myself, "Should I continue with this Academy or not?" Steve Jobs told a story that every day he looked in the mirror and asked himself if he was in the right place, doing the right things that made him feel good. He said that it's good to always question what we do and if it doesn't feel right to change it. Because afterall life is short and definate.

So, as I'm in the chaos of the first night, fitting shoes, getting children into the right studios and trying desparately to remember names of the new dancers it hits me...I love what I do! Passing along the art form of dance is a gift that I give and I'm actually quite good at it - despite the fact that I never danced professionally nor got a degree in it. I graduated from college with degrees in Journalism and Psychology - both of which I use on a daily basis in the studio and at my day job as a Public Relations person.

Jobs, in his Stanford address, also shared a story of how he dropped out of college but "dropped in" to the classes he found interesting like calligraphy. It is why the MAC has so many cool fonts. So, I can say that I've "dropped in" to dance since I was in college taking classes at school, going to seminars, getting motivated by Rhee Gold, getting advice from DanceStudioOwner.com and attending Dance Master events to keep up my training. Recently, I purchased a set of CDs for teachers by Mary Lynn - it was a great refresher too.

When you do what you love you never stop learning simply because it's fun. And life after all should be fun. (Now I just need to remember that when I'm battling with a student who deparately wants to go on pointe or wants to move into another class with her friends)

In the end, year after year for the past 10 years, I've answered my own question of "Should I continue?" with a "Yes". Many times I tell myself that I do it for the kids, but the truth is it must be for me or I wouldn't keep working so hard to make it all happen. Dance makes me feel alive. Dance makes me happy.

So, do you LOVE what you do? If you do then celebrate the fact that you are one of the lucky people who get to do what they love and are good at it. If you don't, it's time to find a new direction because as we learned from Steve Jobs - life is short, don't waste it.

His advice in the closing quote of the address was to "Stay Hungry and Stay Foolish" -- now that's the best definition of a dance teacher I've ever heard.

Being flexible in the studio and in your business

I've learned this summer that you have to be flexible in more ways than just with your body. My business needs to be flexible too. In the Midwest good teachers are hard to find, especially in rural areas where our studio is in Brodhead, Wis. I've been really blessed in the 10 years we've been teaching to find excellent teachers, often getting only one applicant, but they've been well qualified so it didn't matter how many. My quality was exceptional.

And then this summer happened. In planning for our fall season I was faced with changes in staff due to new babies that arrived or are in process. And I simply could not find staff to fill in. I did many interviews, but none were qualifed. And we all know that a bad hire can break your business, so I'm playing it safe. I did what I had to do and decided to teach more nights myself. Since I could only teach two nights without impacting my own daughters' sporting events (which I will not miss) we went from 4 nights to 2. Doubling up the studio spaces - we have two rooms, but most of the time we only used the main studio. With three teachers on two nights, we are still serving more students than we did last year over 225. Every class is FULL! (but no more than 11 in a class)

Now we'll see how flexible the parents will be in crowded waiting areas, parking lots and visitor nights. I've communicated the situation very clearly, so I'm hoping they will understand! It's going to be an interesting year...hoping next year we can return to normal.

If anyone reads this who can teach ballet... CALL ME! I'd be happy to be flexible and let you join the team mid-stride. I know you are all saying, "it's only two nights", but my studio is my hobby. I work full time at another job, so adding l2 classes be a struggle. Actually, it will be choreographing all the dances that will put me over the edge. Thankfully, I've bartered for house cleaning - that oughta help! I'd rather dance than clean any day!

SillyBanz and other rewards

Rewarding dancers in the studio is a constant challenge for dance teachers. What's the best way? Praise.

One thing I've learned is the single greatest reward you can give is praise - direct praise with the child's name. "Nice plie' Brooke" or "Great leap Blake", those words go a long way to keeping your dancers motivated. It's easy to start generalizing your praise to the whole group - how many times have you said, "Nice work ladies!" Sorry, but that doesn't cut it for individual motivation. You have to be direct and at the time of implementation. When I have a little one that has really worked hard, I'll walk out to the waiting room with my hand on her shoulder and tell her mom or dad - "Abie worked really hard today, she's doing just great in class." Try that sometime for a huge smile from both parent and dancer.

As teachers, it's easy to get lost in direct corrections and sometimes hard to remember to praise even when they don't get it perfect. Remind yourself often that the words that come out of your mouth are like pieces of sweet candy! The more they hear them the more they want! And the harder they will work to hear it.

For special holidays, I do usually give out candy treats and on most nights a sticker to the little ones- this year for Halloween I ordered the ART themed SillyBanz online and they were a HUGE HIT! I decided that I'd set a healthy eating example and skip the candy, no one complained, they love collecting the SillyBanz.

Grandparents Day Sept. 13

Every dance studio has them...dancing grandparents. And we love them! Increasingly I see more and more grandparents in the waiting room, helping busy families juggle schedules -making sure thier grandkids get to dance class.

And what a welcome help they are. Grandparents also help make tuition payments or even "gift" classes as birthday or Christmas gifts at our school -- I'm sure they do at yours too. Many times if this extra funding didn't occur the students may not be able to take classes. So it is a true gift of love that will live with these students for a lifetime.

To honor them we have a special "Grandparents Day" when only grandmas and grandpas get to visit the classroom to watch class, usually we host them sometime in February when things are really rolling at the studio. Afterall, you always want to look your best for Grandma!

Coming up soon is the National Grandparents Day - Sept. 13. If you have classes in session now remember to honor them with a sign at your studio. Or simply remind your students to give Grandma and Grandpa a big hug the next time they see them and thank them for loving them so much! (I'm sure that will get your pre-ballet students chatting during warm-ups.)

I also thank grandparents each year at the final recital in my remarks because it is such a family committment to support our dancers. Having a grandparent attend a recital means so much to our students and we have grandparents who travel many miles to attend!

Don't forget Grandparents Day Sept. 13.

H1N1 and your dance school

H1N1 presents many challenges for dance teachers. We have all had ill children attend class from time to time. Stuffy, runny noses are normal in the dead of winter (at least in Wisconsin where we operate). So, how can we control the spread of H1N1?

Tips:

• Place hand sanitizer outside your class rooms, encourage students to wash before they enter. (TV tray tables make a quick small table for this purpose.)
  
• Buy facial tissues for each room and waiting area. Supply a waste basket and more sanitizer by each tissue station.
  
• Spray down waiting areas and play areas for siblings frequently.
  
• Have sanitizing wipes on hand for quick clean ups.
  
• Post signs to remind parents not to bring sick children (or siblings) into the school.
  
• Update your student policy manual to include how to deal with sickness.
  
• Remove activities from your curriculum that include holding hands or dancing close/face to face.
  
• Disinfect your barre' after EACH use, not just each night. Consider adding it to the dancer's role in the class room just like you spray down equipment at the gym. (there's also a cool product from Gypsy Wraps in Calif. that provides each dancer their own barre' wrap.)
  
• Be careful when you teach not to touch children, if you don't have to. I know this is a sad one for me. I love being with the kids and correcting arms and hands. Or if you do, just keep a bottle of anti-bacteria gel/wipes close by.
  
• Consider getting a H1N1 vaccine yourself/staff to help you fight off any exposures.
  
• If you or a staff member get sick - get a sub or cancel class. Don't work when you are sick. (I know this is easier said than done, but it's just not worth it.)
  
• Consult with your local doctor/clinic to ask if they have advice or supplies you could use such as those small face masks. And buy your other supplies now before they sell out.

Know what your plan will be if the schools close or an outbreak occurs locally, what will that mean for your business?

The CDC is predicting this flu season to be really bad. It's time for us to read up on it and stay informed to keep our kids safe and dancing. Sign up for alerts from the CDC and ask your local clinic/school to report any H1N1 outbreaks to you too.

Stay well.