Thread: Just wondering...

One of my students has been asked to do a 'free class' for a program that helps to integrate rural kids into the city. The whole orientation program is not for profit and staffed by volunteers.....

It's just a one-off one hour class about bellydance and unfortunately myself and other teachers in the area are unable to do that lesson because there is another event on in the evening which we are helping out/performing or just going to.

I'm wondering if it's OK to let her just teach that one class? She's an intermediate level dancer and she's been with me for about 3 years?

Not the most technically competent but good enough...

I feel bad not being able to do it myself but....is it really OK? Or would it be sending out a bad message to the general public about bellydance teachers?

EDIT: Another reason is that I don't want to send a message that dancers are ready to teach at an 'intermediate' level....

No, I think it shows you have faith enough in your students and your teaching that you can set them out on their own. I would drill her on some advice and pointers from yourself before the event though. Maybe if you have time at all, check up on her. But if you are unsure, do you have a better student in mind?

it sounds like a good cause.

if you have time, perhaps you could have her give you a practice lesson. then you could tighten up anything that needs help before she presents to gp.

It is a good cause, most rural students may never have come to the city before and suddenly they have to eat, sleep and study there so the transition can be rather hard.

I have all my other advanced students booked up for the event and I could ask another teacher but it doesn't seem fair as this student initiated it and seems quite enthusiastic about the prospect...

I just don't want n00b dancers to think they can start teaching after 3 years at intermediate that's all....

Maybe I should give her a practise lesson- maybe let her take over one class of my and given her some pointers/notes.

It's only one hour and probably not going to happen again....

we probably all have students doing these kind of one ofs without telling us about it anyway
;-)

i solved it as such: i taught a workshops to my students, level from upper intermediate up called "help, the girl scouts want me to teach a workshop".
it was a three hour workshop, and we went over how to teach a taster workshop. i made very clear to them that this would not make them "teachers", but that i know many of them get asked to teach a workshop at a party of a do, at their school/job/friends and really want to do it too, just as a one off, but are not sure how to handle it.

i went over
- safe warm up
- posture
- what possibly to teach in such a taster (movements, basic principles, music &rhtym, communication, history & culture)
- breaking down technique, explaining technique for different styles of learning
- what are the different roles of a teacher, and some pointers for each role: demonstrating, explaining, correcting, encouraging, dancer, choreographer, psychologist, facilitator
- lesson planning/ how to keep things fresh, exciting/use of different teaching forms/methods (circle/mirror/traveling/impro or choreo/drilling/recap/follow the leader etc etc...)
- health and safety/disaster scenario's (what to do if...).

and gave them a very extensive hand out.

i know they are doing this kind of stuff anyway, AND i often need subs for this kind of stuff; i feel a whole lot better about them teaching a workshop at the local girls scouts now... also, i really PACKED the workshop and many came out saying "phew, i didnt know you had to learn soooo many stuff in order to be a teacher", and realise they have a lot a lot to learn. on some issues i mostly covered what you have to learn as a teacher (cause we couldnt all do it in three hours of course). so i think that might have put things in perspective for them as well

That's a great idea!

I think with this one I just need:

Warm up
Posture
Basic 'expected' movements like hip lifts, slides etc
Maybe a bit of viel?
A little bit of history
Warm down

It's more of a novelty thing. I've told that student that the class will be lower than basic beginners :D