Many of us we are going in to the second half of our semester and this is a great time to take another look at our lesson plans, make adjustments when needed and incorporate any new ideas that we may have come up with during the past few months.

It is easy sometimes to deviate from a lesson plan and even sometimes necessary if you feel that the students need more of one thing and less of another. However, it is important to not only refer back to them but also to revisit exactly what your plan was and is. When I make up my lesson plans I always leave some space at the bottom of the page to add more as I go along. That is always fun to do because I know that my students are really getting it and are ready for more material and that always makes me happy! Being organized is really the key and I certainly know that it is not always the easiest thing to do but what a difference it makes and how it helps us to keep our sanity!! Every now and again it is easy to feel drained when you teach because sometimes you are the only one who is bringing energy into the room. That can certainly feel like an uphill battle and unfortunately just as energy can be contagious so can the lack of it. At this time of the year I like to take a few moments to sit down with my students in the classroom and get them to talk a little about which goals they feel they have accomplished in the past months and which ones they still want to achieve. Students always need assistance with their organizational skills and dance is a great way to help them understand how important it is for them to allocate their time and use the time that that have in a productive way.

Often when I talk to my students, especially the teens they just seem to be overwhelmed by everything that is going on around them. They feel pressure from school, parents, peers, scheduling and if they take a lot of dance classes, by that too. They have real difficulty in being able to sort it out for themselves, so if there is any way that you can show them that with a little planning and thought a good portion of their stress can be eliminated it will really help them and indirectly you too!. No one works well under stress and it is really great when I feel I can help my students to not only organize their lives a bit but also to find the time, even if it is in small increments, when they can devote some time to working on their corrections. Of course, this is not only going to make your student's life easier but will also help you as they will work with a better frame of mind and also their technique is sure to improve if they are actually spending some extra time on it.

TESTING AND GRADING

This is a good time of year to take one of your classes during the month to really assess for yourself and your students how they are progressing. I like to do these tests without giving my students any warning for a couple of reasons: 1) I like the spontaneity of not giving then time to prepare as I want my students to really have to use their brains in the moment without prior preparation, because then I know for sure that they do know the work. 2) I don't want to give them additional stress and pressure by giving them a week to worry about whether or not they know the material. It is a fact finding mission and I try to make it a fun experience for all by letting my students know that the classroom is the place to make mistakes but that it is only by finding out exactly what they don't know or are having trouble with that we are able to move forward in a positive way. Over the years I have found this casual testing of my students a terrific help not only to them but also for myself and in a way, the whole experience can be extremely invigorating for all.

One of the ways I test is to make up sheets with a number of questions on them that they have to answer. Some are multiple choice and others are not. I also will list vocabulary from my Ballet dictionary and then I will call upon individuals to get up and not only tell me what the word means but also to show me what it is and how it is used in a particular style. I am a big proponent of dance students knowing their vocabulary as I feel it is really important that they understand all of the terminology. As I always tell my students, 'Not only are we teaching you how to dance, you have the added benefit of learning French vocabulary!' What a bargain!! Again, it is important not to overwhelm them with a bunch of words that they are never going to remember. I try to introduce into my classes at least two new words with an explanation of the spelling and use each week so that they are gradually learning and more importantly, absorbing what they mean.

I know it is sometimes difficult to find the time to do these tests and assessments. We are preparing our students for examinations, competitions, performances just to mention a few things. It only need take one class time for each group and I guarantee it will give you a lot of insight as to how your students are really progressing once you try it. It is easy for some students to get lost in the shuffle and not let the teacher see that they really have no idea of what they are trying to do, especially if they position themselves next to someone who does know what they are doing. They simply copy and the end result is a frightened, insecure student who dreads ever being uncovered as a fake. The majority of students do want to learn, they sometimes just don't understand how to. Teaching insecure, frightened or resentful children is never fun. By finding out for sure what your students do or do not know you will be able to give them the courage to go forward understanding how they can make improvements to their dancing and once they do they will truly be a joy to teach.