A First Class Success

Today was by far the best class I've ever had with the sixth graders.  When they first came in, they were quite rambunctious, so I was nervous.  Then once we started class they started to settle down a little, so I loosened up.  Teaching dance is something that comes naturally to me,but for some reason today it came much more naturally than it has before.  From the very moment I started teaching, I felt beyond comfortable.  In the past, I've taught classes to my peers that went well, but I wasn't truly comfortable letting go.  But today I was just myself, and I let my personality shine through much more than I have in the past with them.  They also grew more comfortable with me, they were asking questions without hesitation, and they let go without holding back.  

The girl who reminds me of myself (who I have now named Michelle) also seemed to let go a little more.  When I would ask if they wanted me to teach them more or go over what we already learned, she kept wanting to go on and learn more.  She really made me proud today, she worked harder than I've ever seen her work.  

As for the class itself, we started with a simple warm-up, somewhat close to what they've been doing.  Then, we did abdominal work and pushups.  I know they absolutely hate doing abs and pushups, but it's necessary to be strong in order to be a strong dancer.  With that in mind, I made them do more abs and pushups than Ms. Donk normally does.  After class, Michelle said "thanks for being our trainer instead of dance teacher," and then she sneered at me.  After abs and pushups, I started teaching them the combination that will eventually be inserted into their piece.  They seemed to enjoy it, and caught on fairly quickly.  All in all, I really felt like I did a good job, and I felt much more connected to them than ever before.