Thread: "... but I only teach Beginners..."

Please, someone, other teachers, tell me that your heart too fills with despair upon hearing that phrase.

I truly don't mind that some teachers fell into teaching, because their teacher retired or left the area. I don't mind if they admit they aren't experienced. I don't mind if they admit that they don't know as much as their own teacher did.

But I mind like whoah if they then go on to say "but that's ok, because I'm only teaching Beginners..."

Beginners are *the* most important students. They need to be taught by someone who will give them the right foundation, teach them good dance posture, good basic technique, so that they don't have to then spend 2 or 3 years unlearning all the bad habits they picked up.

If a teacher thinks that you just need to keep one step ahead of your students, that's treating the student like dirt. Which is so unfair on the dancers of tomorrow.

Originally Posted by beafarhana

Please, someone, other teachers, tell me that your heart too fills with despair upon hearing that phrase.

I truly don't mind that some teachers fell into teaching, because their teacher retired or left the area. I don't mind if they admit they aren't experienced. I don't mind if they admit that they don't know as much as their own teacher did.

But I mind like whoah if they then go on to say "but that's ok, because I'm only teaching Beginners..."

Beginners are *the* most important students. They need to be taught by someone who will give them the right foundation, teach them good dance posture, good basic technique, so that they don't have to then spend 2 or 3 years unlearning all the bad habits they picked up.



If a teacher thinks that you just need to keep one step ahead of your students, that's treating the student like dirt. Which is so unfair on the dancers of tomorrow.

Ummm... I've been saying this forever...so yes, you are not on your own when you get riled up. We all have to start somewhere, this I understand, but I've lost count of how many people say ..."but they're only beginners!"

I have another question.... does a teacher who considers herself qualified enough or advanced enough to teach, really need to keep going to the weekly classes of another teacher? I'm not talking about students who have perhaps progressed to teach and keep going to their original teacher's class more for the social aspect because of the friends they have made there - but teachers who just randomly turn up once every couple of months because... I strongly suspect...they have run out of ideas and inspiration themselves and are looking for fresh input from someone else.

Well I did, because although I was teaching I knew fine well that I still needed to go to class. And I was a regular student for maybe 3 or 4 years into my teaching career. The main reason I stopped was that I felt I was no longer learning anything from them, and what those teachers wanted to teach me wasn't what I wanted to be (can you guess what kind of teachers I'm talking about? ) and I wasn't going to keep on driving 2 hours into London on a weeknight straight after work, if I wasn't learning anything. But although I was attending those classes regularly, they didn't impact much on my teaching.

I do still wish I could get to regular classes, because I enjoy being a student.

I've once had a local teacher come to my classes. She only did one term, and she missed a couple of the classes. I don't know if she was there to steal my ideas and inspiration, but if she was, she was very welcome to them- there was no way she would make them work as well as I would! And in fact a few of her students have started coming to my classes anyway, so what goes around, comes around.

I am one of those teachers that fell into it when my teacher had to move. I had only been taking classes for one year before she relocated to a different city. I live in a remote area and no other avenue was open to me to keep the bd community alive. I took the responsibility to heart and worked hard and spent a ton of money and time to educate myself as quickly as I could. I feel very competent teaching beginners, but due to my lack of education (and perhaps talent) -teaching choreos and combos still elludes me. But I am a good teacer for beginners, but there will come a time when those students will need or want to go beyond what I can teach them. (unless I can stay 2 or 3 steps ahead :-) I desired to go beyond my instructors skill, so I hope they will want to go beyond mine. I like to call myself a foundational instructor, but I have no illusions about my limitations at this point. I just hope I can continue to learn and teach at a higher level before my bod gives out!

I believe that belly dance teachers, like any other professional, should be required to get CEC's on a regular basis even if they are not taking classes. Workshops, festivals, etc. Private lessons when they can. Because this is not a stagnant art form. And to pretend otehrwise is to do a disservice to your self and your students.

There are many teachers who fall into teaching because there are no other teachers around. I think the key is that they continue to push themselves, traveling to work with master teachers on a regular basis. I used to drive up to Burbank every Saturday for 2 hours of classes with Tamra-Henna. That was an hour drive for me, but it was important to me to get her level of instruction.

Now, it is a little easier for me to get to her than for some people in other areas of the world to get to quality teachers, but if htere is a will, there is a way.

BTW - are there any weekend classes in central London worth taking if you are an 'advanced' student?

{{{HUGS}}}

One other piece which I have never really seen done: bringing in teachers from out side on a regular basis to teach a class or workshop for the beginners. This combined with a private lesson might help the 'beginner' teacher to grow and also feel that they are addressing some of the areas where they are weaker with their students.

{{{HUGS}}}

Actually, I rarely have the opportunity to teach anything *but* beginners, but I have a tremendous responsibility to get them on the right track with posture, safe technique, etc.

It's one thing to bop around your living room with some friends and quite another to hang out your shingle as a teacher. .p::

AAAARRRRRRGHHHHHHHH!

Deborah

Hadia wrote an article on this very subject for Habibi magazine, I wonder if that exists in an online version? It was very well thought-out.

As far as attending classes, I wish I could still go to a weekly class. I was trying to go on a monthly basis for a while, but that opportunity is gone. I feel like I owe it to my students to have someone watching me with an eagle eye, because my students pick up my bad habits. My semi-regular teacher was the one who spotted that the more I worked on my upper body the less I was aware of my feet (they were drifting apart), AND she's the one who recognized that my 3/4 shimmy was starting to get 'march-y.'

Workshop teachers won't see or point out whatever bad habits you're developing in general, you need a regular teacher for that!

I agree whole heartedly. Football coaches arent better players, they are better observers.

Originally Posted by kharis_UK

I have another question.... does a teacher who considers herself qualified enough or advanced enough to teach, really need to keep going to the weekly classes of another teacher? I'm not talking about students who have perhaps progressed to teach and keep going to their original teacher's class more for the social aspect because of the friends they have made there - but teachers who just randomly turn up once every couple of months because... I strongly suspect...they have run out of ideas and inspiration themselves and are looking for fresh input from someone else.

In my neck of the woods, there are no "teachers who teach teachers"; in fact, no one who teaches at anything much above an intermediate student level. I have to travel to Chicago for private lessons with my teacher, but primarily because I don't have the time to travel nearly 2 hours each way for a weekly class.

10 000 repetitions to pick up a new skill - but if taught badly 10 000 to unlearn then another 10 000 to get it right. Beginners are the most susceptible to picking up bad technique (and crappy fakelore/mythology as fact).

As a beginner, I learnt from someone who is a very good dancer with 12 year's experience BUT she believed in NOT burdening beginners with TOO MUCH technique. I now take her for intermediate and she's fine, pushes you hard BUT I needed more of this as a beginner. AND I have posture issues that were never addressed and are causing me grief now.
Based on this experience I would say that beginners are the hardest group to teach. You will have the widest gap in ability, flexibility, drive, commitment and ambition.

Beginers take more teaching skill and require teachers who have had experience learning from a wide variety and levels of instructors so that they have a wide range of teaching styles to mentally draw on.

Although there is the niche of beginers who just want to have a little bit of fun and aren't really planning on trying to get beyond a simple level of understanding, but that choice should be up to the students, not based on limitations teachers might have...unless the teacher in question is comfortable and ready to send their students on to another teacher, with blessings and good will, when that day comes.

Beginners are *the* most important students. They need to be taught by someone who will give them the right foundation, teach them good dance posture, good basic technique, so that they don't have to then spend 2 or 3 years unlearning all the bad habits they picked up.

In my experience it is so so hard for students who have not been given a firm foundation. Suddenly, after they've been bobbing along happily for years, thinking that everything is fine, they are then put in a position of having to unlearn/relearn all the basics. Its so discouraging for them and I'm sure that we lose quite a few students when this happens.

Luckily, because I was started off with a lot of very good habits (even if the penny took a few years to drop in some cases) I have only experienced fairly mild correction of bad habits but even so, it was/is demoralising when I was/am corrected and its only because I am very bl00dy minded that I am still dancing now.

At the risk of making comparisons with other disciplines (not ballet for once ), I know that it is absolutely *not* the done thing when teaching an instrument to let a student 'sort of get the idea' and kind of 'generally have a go' before hitting them with hard technique, practice and theory several years down the line. With a musical instrument, you start at the beginning and you learn and master each stage properly.

Similarly with Yoga, you can learn different approaches, practice disciplines etc and beginners will be encouraged to go for the simpler positions until they have the desire/flexibility and confidence to take it further but, with good yoga teacher they are still learning the correct basic approaches from day 1. They are not just left to fall into it because they are beginners.

It may not always be ultra fun (though who says good posture etc has to be boring) but it really is best to start students as you mean to go on. It saves a lot of grief and disappointment for everyone in the long run.

Hear hear.... I don't see why teaching people the basic foundatoins is incompatible with having a bit of fun...BUT this s often seems the case that teachers are frightened of driving away their beginners

Sara Farouk in her own inimitable and colourful manner told us that teaching beginners was THE MOST IMPORTANT aspect of teaching. In comparison to ensuring that beginners get the right start ,teaching advancedstudents is easy .
That's my take.Beginners come first and foremost. There is no such thing as only beginners..they are the proirity.
Get really good at this dance and you need more than drilling moves and combos and doing a choreo. here and there, get thee to privates and specialist workshops!
And a superb dancer, launch her into the big world preferably either Cairo,Istanbul or San Francisco to learn more.

I would also add BEWARE of the teacher who is no longer a student!

THIS is the reason why I'm making sure I'm always learning myself - I do not think that teaching beginners is in some way easier than if i were to teach advanced (which I'm not in the position or ability level to do), but the place that i live (back of beyond) requires a teacher out here, and I am stepping up to the plate. I was doing teacher training with the teacher who was here before me, who decided to emigrate.

I am confident (i have had feedback from very good teachers) that I am teaching my beginners correct posture and technique. I KNOW that I am - I would not be teaching if i did not think i was capable of doing so. I do not want to give people the wrong start - as I had a great start with a woman who broke down and taught beginners brilliantly.

Originally Posted by Indubelly

THIS is the reason why I'm making sure I'm always learning myself - I do not think that teaching beginners is in some way easier than if i were to teach advanced (which I'm not in the position or ability level to do), but the place that i live (back of beyond) requires a teacher out here, and I am stepping up to the plate. I was doing teacher training with the teacher who was here before me, who decided to emigrate.

I am confident (i have had feedback from very good teachers) that I am teaching my beginners correct posture and technique. I KNOW that I am - I would not be teaching if i did not think i was capable of doing so. I do not want to give people the wrong start - as I had a great start with a woman who broke down and taught beginners brilliantly.

That's how a good few dancers start teaching. There is a need. I've been on workshops and on the JWAAD course wth girls who got thrust into the front of class. Like you, they were doing something about it by dong some sort of training or furthering their own skill levels. That is what matters.

Originally Posted by lizajuk

I would also add BEWARE of the teacher who is no longer a student!

I think a beginner teacher needs more than just a weekly class going on....she needs to progress beyond that to workshops, private tuition and coaching. We all remain 'students' in that we should never stop learning, but it's where we learn that matters as we progress. I think when you reach advanced stage, what's the point in still attending an intermediate or mixed ability class. You need more than that. You need one to one and workshops that push you out of your comfort zone.

And if one teaches beginners, does that mean that as a teacher it's still ok to just attend a regular weekly class and not do any of the above?

Originally Posted by kharis_UK

I think a teacher needs more than just a weekly class going on....she needs to progress beyond that to workshops, private tuition and coaching. We all remain 'students' in that we should never stop learning, but it's where we learn that matters as we progress. I think when you reach advanced stage, what's the point in still attending an intermediate or mixed ability class. You need more than that. You need one to one and workshops that push you out of your comfort zone.

And if one teaches beginners, does that mean that as a teacher it's still ok to just attend a regular weekly class and not do any of the above?

One of the reasons some start teaching is because they can no long progress in local classes. I am not sure wether it's a good reason to teach or not. I think there has to be desire to pass on what you know not just somewhere to go to dance.But yes once you have been dancing a certain amount of time, its difficult for a techer with a constant influx of beginners to satisfy you and you do have to make sure you get private lessons with a very experienced dancer and make sure you go to workshop events.

How about that argument: They do it for free and out of the goodness of their hearts, and everybody has fun. (I wanna hit my keyboard just typing that.)

Speaking as a student, it is hard to take classes with the folks who came from "just for fun, let's not burden you with too much technique" classes because those are the same students who have trouble with basic posture, step turns, basic shimmy--because their teacher never taught those things.

Originally Posted by mish_mish

Speaking as a student, it is hard to take classes with the folks who came from "just for fun, let's not burden you with too much technique" classes because those are the same students who have trouble with basic posture, step turns, basic shimmy--because their teacher never taught those things.

Agreed.
A good teacher makes the basics and technique fun.

I am especially sick of "but there's nobody teaching in this area. I *had* to teach...people wanted me to and otherwise this wonderful dance wouldn't get out there." Doesn't matter if they are grossly underqualified...there's a *need*.

I have heard "I teach beginner's because it is easier".

I think my beginner's class is the most challenging class to teach!!!

I said all these things when I was a new teacher (except for the 'goodness of my heart' thing, that one sounds like a martyr copout).

There was no one else to teach, people wanted the class, I was only teaching beginners -- I'd been learning about 2 years when I started teaching. My own troupe director suggested I take the job, and the woman at the teaching venue knew my full history and was excited to hire me!

I've been playing catch-up ever since.

If you have these people in your area, remember that

A) they really DON'T know any better and probably don't have any clue -- yet -- how much they don't know!

B) Some of them will quit, some will bobble along forever and never figure it out -- but a few will continue their own education, become aware of their ignorance, and become passable teachers eventually. (and someday they'll be hopelessly embarrassed about their humble teaching beginnings as a 2-year-wonder).

Invite these teachers and their students to your haflas, your workshops, encourage them to come on Bhuz. Maybe they'll figure it out eventually, or their students will figure it out...

Lauren if you (or anyone else) locates this article online, please post the link! I would LOVE to post it on my local bellydance discussion group, where teachers with three months of training ABOUND.

Regards
Priscilla

Originally Posted by Lauren_

Hadia wrote an article on this very subject for Habibi magazine, I wonder if that exists in an online version? It was very well thought-out.

I may be teaching out of demand, but I wanted to teach before that demand came. I was in a teacher training course (albeit in hindsight a MASSIVE waste of money), and actively wanting to be a better dancer myself.

I do not teach otu of the kindness of my heart - i teach for many reasons because I enjoy it and I am great at breaking down the moves and warming them up properly etc etc. Also because I think technique is absolutely essential but also that it should be fun to learn.

There are people in my area who meet up just to prance about with hip scarves on, and that is fine, alot of people just want to dress up and jingle. Its not what I'm interested in. I want to make sure i pass on good habits and technique. I take my responsibility in teaching newcomers to the dance VERY seriously.

If there is a teacher that took her students all the way through, I never found her. Unfortunately, I had to move around because of this. It used to be really frustrating too and pretty discouraging.