Thursday, March 15, 2007
Preparing for 2nd lesson at Dorsey
Friday will be my 2nd time teaching at Dorsey. I feel much more confident this week because I'm familiar with the school now. This week I would like to try to get to know the students more, their names and maybe get them to show me some of their own steps. It will be interesting to see if they practiced or if two weeks is too long for them to remember the last lesson. This Friday, I plan to revisit the material from the first lesson and build on that, bringing in new vocabulary and a new concept. I hope the students are looking forward to my coming again because I know I really enjoy teaching them and I can't wait for Friday!
Thursday, March 8, 2007
First Day at Dorsey
My firt day at Dorsey was wonderful. The students are really focused and are up for the challenges I'm giving them. My first lesson was on partnering and presence in Hip-Hop dance, and also served as an introduction to b-boy/b-girling. I really enjoy the group's enthusiasm and I found myself smiling when I stepped back and whatched. There is an incredible amount of talent and soul in that class, I feel really honored and blessed to have the opportunity to teach them what I know. It was nice to be able to teach, without having a teacher constantly making comments to students, as was the case at Jordan. Mrs. Downing really handed over the class to me, which was nice because i felt I had some space to really take charge and teach. It's funny how nervous I made myself before the class, but I felt that this class was in some ways a test... I passed, what a relief. I wish the class met every week, however, the girls were really into the class and many of them left the class smiling and told me "I'm a preactice when I get home." I hope they really do practice because since I only see them every other week it might make it tricky to keep the rhythm and energy of the class, we'll see...
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Preparing for new Residency
Today I'm preparing for my new residency at Dorsey High which begins tomorrow. I'm anxious, as I have to find my way there and then find my way around the school. Hopefully, the minor details will go smooth. I'm also excited to try out a new lesson which focuses on partnering and presence in Hip-Hop dance. The group of students i will be working with is advanced, so i want to try to give them a fun challenge that will strengthen their choreographic skills as well as develop their performance skills. I hope everything goes great. My main advice to myself is just to remember to have fun and breathe.
Meeting the girls from Dorsey
Last Tuesday, I had the delightful experience of meeting some of the girls I will be working with from Dorsey High. They were here on a field trip to see the Flesh and Blood show and I caught up with them on their way to lunch. They are a very enthusiastic group and I got excited about working with them. They seem excited too, and I can't wait to see where they're already at, so I can find ways to challenge them and help them become stronger dancers. I'm also impressed and happy to know that many of these girls have stepped up and become leaders, they teach their own class sometimes, and are also choreographing. I can't wait to see how it unfolds.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Journal#4
This week I didn't teach at Jordan. Part of Artsbridge criteria in partnering with schools is that the partner teacher be present, and as I learned the other day: teaching with a substitute is very difficult. I feel really bad about not being there on Thursday, as I told the students I would be there every Thursday, and even assigned a journal entry. I don't want to add to the list of people who have walked out on the kids, that's not who I am. However, Amy and I worked it out, and I'll be teaching there again when my partner teacher returns from surgery. We have also made arrangements for me to start teaching at Dorsey High School in March. I'm excited about Dorsey... I'll be working with advanced students who sound incredible. Everything happens for a reason, I'm just going to go with the flow.
Last Thursday, several classes from Jordan came to our campus to see the "Flesh and Blood" show and the Condom dress exhibit. I met them and the student who was the most excited to see me was the girl who had been testing me and giving me a hard time, how funny. That was a wonderful field trip, it was such a blessing to see the eyes of all the students lit up and inspired. It was obvious that this trip got them excited about the possibilities for their own futures, many of them were saying, "I want to come here!"
For me, the day served as a good dose of medicine, it countered the last Thursday and left me feeling inspired.
Last Thursday, several classes from Jordan came to our campus to see the "Flesh and Blood" show and the Condom dress exhibit. I met them and the student who was the most excited to see me was the girl who had been testing me and giving me a hard time, how funny. That was a wonderful field trip, it was such a blessing to see the eyes of all the students lit up and inspired. It was obvious that this trip got them excited about the possibilities for their own futures, many of them were saying, "I want to come here!"
For me, the day served as a good dose of medicine, it countered the last Thursday and left me feeling inspired.
Journal#3
I'm writing this account of my most recent lesson at Jordan over a week later. I showed up ready and excited to teach the first workshop of my residency, but the excitement slowly vanished as I waited locked outside with students, until a substitute teacher showed up 15 minutes late. I introduced myself, and was asked "Who are you?" and "What is Artsbridge?" I explained and then she told me that was fine, I could give my lesson, she would facilitate. How ironic,I thought to myself, "a good teacher is a good facilitator."
I was told I would have a lot of the same students I taught at the workshop I taught two weeks ago, but all the students were new. It was the first day of classes in their new semester, and as I soon found out about half of them were only taking the class as a requirement and had no desire to dance. When I introduced myself to the class I felt as if I were just talking to myself, they seemed closed and were definitely lacking enthusiasm.I told them "Today we're going to explore rhythm in Hip-Hop music. And asked, "What's rhythm?" They answer, "The beat", "How you move", etc. When I started my warm up, I soon noted I had a few students who didn't yet grasp the concept of rhythm. And we worked on step touch as well as how to count out the beats in the music and respond to those beats with movement. The students got it and soon we all danced in unison.
After about 15 min. of class one of the students from the workshop I taught showed up. She is a very advanced dancer and had some real issues with me teaching at a slower pace for the beginners, at one point she was laying on the floor in the middle of all the other students, because she was so frustrated. I had to ask her to be respectful,and though she got up she continued testing me until the end of class.
As the students were walking out the door, one of the students mentioned something about how another student is pregnant. The substitute overheard, and then scolded the girl and told her she was stupid to go and get pregnant. Another student defended the girl, saying "Hey what's done is done. Leave her alone, she's Latina and in her culture they don't believe in birth control." I felt so uncomfortable, the sub was so rude and out of line to say the things she said. I also felt my body tighten with sorrow, as I looked at the 15 year old girl, who looks like she's 12, who is expecting a baby.
I didn't have a second period class, and had some time so I decided to take a walk around the school. As I walked I realized the school is surrounded by projects, and I saw a young student with her baby. And then the sadness really started to sink in. When I got back to my apartment I sat down and cried. Though my class had gone good, and the students were enthusiastic by the end, I felt so beat up and sad for the reality those students face.
I found myself wondering why the best dancer was testing me and being so awful to me. And as the days pass I have come to understand that really she just wanted my attention. I was not able to write about the class until now, because to be honest it just made me so sad. I have been relfecting and am still reflecting on that day because it was a big slap in the face and though I handled it well, I am currently in the process of growing and learning from that day.
I was told I would have a lot of the same students I taught at the workshop I taught two weeks ago, but all the students were new. It was the first day of classes in their new semester, and as I soon found out about half of them were only taking the class as a requirement and had no desire to dance. When I introduced myself to the class I felt as if I were just talking to myself, they seemed closed and were definitely lacking enthusiasm.I told them "Today we're going to explore rhythm in Hip-Hop music. And asked, "What's rhythm?" They answer, "The beat", "How you move", etc. When I started my warm up, I soon noted I had a few students who didn't yet grasp the concept of rhythm. And we worked on step touch as well as how to count out the beats in the music and respond to those beats with movement. The students got it and soon we all danced in unison.
After about 15 min. of class one of the students from the workshop I taught showed up. She is a very advanced dancer and had some real issues with me teaching at a slower pace for the beginners, at one point she was laying on the floor in the middle of all the other students, because she was so frustrated. I had to ask her to be respectful,and though she got up she continued testing me until the end of class.
As the students were walking out the door, one of the students mentioned something about how another student is pregnant. The substitute overheard, and then scolded the girl and told her she was stupid to go and get pregnant. Another student defended the girl, saying "Hey what's done is done. Leave her alone, she's Latina and in her culture they don't believe in birth control." I felt so uncomfortable, the sub was so rude and out of line to say the things she said. I also felt my body tighten with sorrow, as I looked at the 15 year old girl, who looks like she's 12, who is expecting a baby.
I didn't have a second period class, and had some time so I decided to take a walk around the school. As I walked I realized the school is surrounded by projects, and I saw a young student with her baby. And then the sadness really started to sink in. When I got back to my apartment I sat down and cried. Though my class had gone good, and the students were enthusiastic by the end, I felt so beat up and sad for the reality those students face.
I found myself wondering why the best dancer was testing me and being so awful to me. And as the days pass I have come to understand that really she just wanted my attention. I was not able to write about the class until now, because to be honest it just made me so sad. I have been relfecting and am still reflecting on that day because it was a big slap in the face and though I handled it well, I am currently in the process of growing and learning from that day.
Journal#2
Journal#2
It’s crazy how you can forget some of your best moments when your overall excitement and relief take control. Today I feel I can reflect upon my workshop I taught at Jordan with more clarity than I could last week. How could I forget the best moment of the class? Last week in Artsbridge class, Amy reminded me of the moment when she walked in the classroom and the students were so overcome with joy that they were jumping up and down and rolling on the floor smiling and laughing. Amy noted that moment as the happiest she has ever seen students at Jordan High School. Somehow when I finished teaching all I could remember was “Alright, that went well.” In actuality it went fantastic and I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to work with and share my knowledge and passion for Hip-Hop with such enthusiastic students. I also have a lot to learn from the students and my partner teacher; they have some steps and energy that I definitely want.
The students are so hungry with desire to learn dance and to execute every move, they inspire me. Some students were trying so hard, that when they would finally get the movement in their bodies they almost couldn’t handle their pride in their accomplishment. They loved each song I played, especially the saddest song, where the hook goes “What you gonna do when your baby’s crying on the floor ‘cause he’s hungry, and the only thing you can do is sleep with a man for a little bit of money, and his daddy’s gone.” When I played that song they room was filled with singing and I understood that this song was more than just a good beat, the words touched these students deeper. When we danced to that song it felt like therapy. There was a sense of healing and joy. That class was more than just a workshop, for the students and for me it was church, it was beautiful joy.
It’s crazy how you can forget some of your best moments when your overall excitement and relief take control. Today I feel I can reflect upon my workshop I taught at Jordan with more clarity than I could last week. How could I forget the best moment of the class? Last week in Artsbridge class, Amy reminded me of the moment when she walked in the classroom and the students were so overcome with joy that they were jumping up and down and rolling on the floor smiling and laughing. Amy noted that moment as the happiest she has ever seen students at Jordan High School. Somehow when I finished teaching all I could remember was “Alright, that went well.” In actuality it went fantastic and I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to work with and share my knowledge and passion for Hip-Hop with such enthusiastic students. I also have a lot to learn from the students and my partner teacher; they have some steps and energy that I definitely want.
The students are so hungry with desire to learn dance and to execute every move, they inspire me. Some students were trying so hard, that when they would finally get the movement in their bodies they almost couldn’t handle their pride in their accomplishment. They loved each song I played, especially the saddest song, where the hook goes “What you gonna do when your baby’s crying on the floor ‘cause he’s hungry, and the only thing you can do is sleep with a man for a little bit of money, and his daddy’s gone.” When I played that song they room was filled with singing and I understood that this song was more than just a good beat, the words touched these students deeper. When we danced to that song it felt like therapy. There was a sense of healing and joy. That class was more than just a workshop, for the students and for me it was church, it was beautiful joy.
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