One of the big challenges today as a teacher is to get respect from your students. Unfortunately, part of it is just the way of todays society. You have a choice as a teacher as to what the relationship with your students will be. You can be demanding without being mean or viewed as a strict disciplinarian. You can set ground rules and enforce them in a way that will be gladly followed by your students.
One way to help you to get your students on board is for them to really believe in you and what you are saying; I know it is not always easy. One key that we have found is to use your natural charisma to get people to follow you. If you think that you are shy or reserved and are not really a charismatic person you are probably selling yourself short. Charisma comes out of a passion to give and to help and that is the inner soul of all dance teachers. Charisma by definition is charm, personality, appeal, magnetism and allure. It is easy to define the outstanding characteristics of the top charismatic people.
See how you can fine tune your daily routine to incorporate these values to have your students respecting you and valuing your input! *Concern *Help *Action *Results *Influence *Sensitivity *Motivation *Affirmation
CONCERN is the ability to show you care. It has been said that people dont really care how much you know until they know how much you care. One way to look at it is how you greet your students and how you say good bye. Seems simple but it is often overlooked. Eye contact is very important.
HELP is the ability to reach out. Teachers are great at this. They are always correcting students and trying to help them get it right. Make sure your students understand that a correction is a gift. Let them know that it takes time to get a step they may be struggling with. Assure them of your confidence in them. Help them by giving the students a definitive plan to improve.
ACTION is the ability to make things happen. In a dance class setting it is easy to make this come to life. You create steps and show technique that the students will enjoy and want to master. Keep developing your creativity and confidence. Go out on a limb every now and again and watch how eager your students will be to follow.
RESULTS are the ability to produce. Once again, all dance teachers have this quality. Every week we come up with new steps and ideas for our students to explore. By creating choreography we are asking others to explore our vision, concepts and movement. That is a very powerful connection and we need to understand that the students really look up to us in that regard.
INFLUENCE is the ability to lead. Every day in every class we are leading. We set the atmosphere and energy. We lead the class through warm up, barre exercises, progressions and more! Talk about the ultimate following the leader.
SENSITIVITY is the ability to feel and respond. As teachers, we need to have the ability to be sensitive to changing situations. Always be adept at taking advantage of the mood, feelings and spirit of any situation. Dont be shy about getting out of your comfort zone in order to make others feel comfortable, especially in regards to your students.
MOTIVATION is the ability to give hope. The secret of motivating others is to provide them with hope. People tend to feel more positive when they are following someone who can give them ideas and ways to improve. Students are motivated to improve when a teacher takes time to notice them and help them to achieve their goals.
AFFIRMATION is the ability to build up. Do you ever notice how a student reacts when you say that what they just did is wonderful? Everyone wants and needs to be given affirmation for their accomplishments. I recommend that you make a really big deal out of a student that was struggling with something and who goes home practices and gets it by the next week. The fact that you noticed will go a long way not only with that student but the whole class!
So there you have it. To get your students to respect and willingly follow your lead, show them that you have their best interests in mind. When looking at your class and trying to find a way to gain their respect and appreciation, focus on them and their needs and you will find the key to gaining their respect! Be more concerned about making others feel good about themselves than you are in making them feel good about you. In other words, dont try to sell other people on you, try to sell them on themselves! John Maxwell
