Yesterday Ms. Donk just let the 6th graders play outside because of the weird state testing schedule. Today, we finished watching the movie we started watching on Monday. I was supposed to teach, but because of Mr. Trapp's multiple announcements Ms. Donk decided that we would just watch a movie instead.
I only have about 3 weeks left with them, so I probably only have about two more classes left to teach. I'll probably switch it to jazz, since they don't get a chance to really take jazz classes during the jazz unit.

Because of state testing, the 6th graders only had a 25 minute class today, so we just watched a movie.

The 6th grade class went well today. Instad of warming up we went straight into "One," and added on. For some reason they were extremely chatty and reluctant to learning the new, rigorous material. They wouldn't hold their formations, and whenever Ms. Donk would stop and get together the next bit of choreography, they'd start talking. When I got back to class, Mr. Trapp asked me what she does to control them. It really got me thinking, because she always has complete control of all of her classes (except when she's having a bad day, like today). One thing that helps her maintain control is that she rarely loses her temper. When the students get out of order she nicely tells them to get it together. If she has to repeat herself, her tone firms up. If they need to be told a third time, punishments come into place. Depending on her mood and the crime, the students have to do pushups. If they're constantly running their mouths, they'll get anywhere from 4-8 pushups, and as the intensity of the crime increases, so does the number of pushups. Another thing about Ms. Donk is that she has a very intimidating demeanor. While she is one of the sweetest people you'll ever meet, she has this "don't mess with me, or you'll pay" look. Also, even though she's no more than 5'3, she has about 8 pounds of muscle on each arm, and 12 pounds per leg. She looks like she can knock out anyone even if she wasn't expecting it. The last thing that I can think of that helps her maintain control is the enviornment she creates. While she makes it clear that she is the teacher and they are the students, she still creates a friendly enviornment. If someone messes up, instead of yelling and getting angry, she tries to figure out their problem and help with it. If someone says something funny, she doesn't get angry, she laughs and adds onto the joke. This makes the students feel comfortable with her so that they'll be themselves, but when they get out of hand she knows how to reel them in and control them.

For the sake of moving forward with their piece, Ms. Donk asked that I not teach today.  Instead, we went straight into "One." We ran the entire piece once, and then we added on.  The new part was extremely tricky, because it involved them changing formations, which is something they haven't done yet in the piece.  After their formations changed, Ms. Donk gave them movement that is more intricate than any movement we've done thus far.  It was so intricate that even Ms. Donk and I kept messing up.  We decided that the only way we would get it was to constantly drill it.  After doing it a few times, Ms. Donk and I finally had the movement in our bodies, so the students would be able to watch us while they were drilling it. 

I've noticed that all of the stars from the modern unit aren't really shining as brightly as they did before.  Ms. Donk pointed out that while Trinity is a good dancer, and while she catches onto new movement fairly quickly, she's very lazy.  She complains about doing pushups and abdominal work, and anything else that might accelerate her heartbeat. Michelle doesn't look too happy during dance class.  I'm beginning to think she either doesn't like the class, or she just doesn't like to dance.  She does all of the steps and is doing them right, but she doesn't put anything extra into the movement.  Other students add little extra details that Ms. Donk sometimes points out, yet Michelle just does the steps and watches the clock.  Joseph, on the other hand seems to be loving jazz dance.  He always asks questions that end up being helpful to other students, he's attentive, and he always gets the steps quickly.  So...the countdown has begun.  I officially only have about 2o days of school left, which means only 20 classes left with the 6th graders.  I'm really going to miss them...

After a long Spring Break Mr. Trapp had lots of news and deadlines to share with our senior project class.  As a result of his many announcements, I was late to the 6th grade class today and missed their warmup.  When I got there, they were painfully trying to recall the choreography Ms. Donk set before the break.  Surprisingly, I remembered a good deal of the choreography, and I was able to refresh Ms. Donk's memory.  We ran the piece a few times, and then we added on a very small amount of material.  Ms. Donk said that tomorrow will be a complicated day, because not only will the choreography be intricate, but they will also be changing formations.  I'm looking forward to learning the new choreography, and I'm actually starting to like the piece.  Before it was stressful for me because I couldn't catch on as quickly as I normally can, but now that I've got the hang of it I really enjoy it.  The students also seem to be thoroughly enjoying it as well, once they get the hang of it.  Because of early release for seniors, I only have about 17 classes left with the 6th graders.  They've really grown on me over the semester, and I'm going to miss seeing them everyday.  

Although the sixth grade class isn't very long, it had very high moments as well as very low moments today. Instead of warming up, we went right into "One." The students weren't really paying attention, and they were very chatty. Once Ms. Donk gave them a lecture that set them straight, they still seemed very cranky. It was obvious that they didn't want to go over the old material, and Ms. Donk adding on new material was even worse for them.
For me, it was extremely frustrating because their vibe was causing me to not be able to focus. The choreography is unlike everything that I'm used to, so I need to buckle down and focus 150%, but because of them I couldn't focus. After a while, I started to ignore their energy and just focus on the material. I finally got down all of the choreography, and was able to assist them when they needed it. I also was able to do it with them so that Ms. Donk could watch and see what areas they need help on.
Michelle, one of my old favorites just isn't delivering. Lots of the movements are very sharp and quick, and she lazily does them, without putting any real effort into it. Another of my old favorites, Joseph, was having a terrible day today. He was extremely cranky and didn't want to focus.
Tomorrow the middle school athletes are going on an all-day field trip, leaving only six students in class. Ms. Donk said we'll probably watch a film or take a walk, because there's no sense in adding on to the piece when most of the class isn't there. Also, tomorrow is the last day before Spring Break, so any choreography she set on them probably wouldn't stick anyway...

Today in the 6th grade class Ms. Donk decided to finish showing them the Alvin Ailey video they started watching yesterday. (They didn't dance because of a crazy schedule because of state testing). Hopefully tomorrow we'll be back to dancing so that we can set some of the dance before we leave for Spring break.