Norah's first day of ballet class did not go as I anticipated. She woke up so excited about getting to wear her ballet outfit that she barely ate any breakfast. She danced through the house, telling us to watch her and to dance with her. We loaded up the car and managed to get to class on time, which is a major accomplishment for us.
We found her classroom and immediately met some of the little girls in her class. The teacher introduced herself and before we knew it, class had begun. Much to my surprise the teacher asked the parents to join their daughters in the middle of the room. This meant that Norah clung to my leg almost the entire time and refused to pay attention to the teacher, who spent 15 minutes (of the 30) trying to teach the girls stretches, and the remaining time trying to show them 1st and 2nd positions and leaping.
By the end of the lesson (during which no music was played) we were ALL ready to go home. Norah was crying, I was frustrated, and Jeff was worn out from taking pictures and trying to chase Justin (as well as keep him from joining the class).
We learned that this teacher (while incredibly sweet) had never taught this age group before, and they accidentally failed to mention that parental attendance was required in the course description. We probably would have made a different class selection if we had known those details. After the second class went worse than the first, I spoke to the program coordinator, and learned that we were not the only ones frustrated by the class format.
We hoped Norah would enjoy dancing in class as much as she does at home, and would benefit from more structure. We only want this class to nurture her already present love for dance and for her to gain a hunger and excitement for more. The instructor has since observed some other classes with the same age group, and the third class was a greater success. More time was spent moving to the music and they even got to play a game. All the girls seemed to have a great time, and we can't wait for the remaining classes!
Norah's first day of ballet class did not go as I anticipated. She woke up so excited about getting to wear her ballet outfit that she barely ate any breakfast. She danced through the house, telling us to watch her and to dance with her. We loaded up the car and managed to get to class on time, which is a major accomplishment for us.
We found her classroom and immediately met some of the little girls in her class. The teacher introduced herself and before we knew it, class had begun. Much to my surprise the teacher asked the parents to join their daughters in the middle of the room. This meant that Norah clung to my leg almost the entire time and refused to pay attention to the teacher, who spent 15 minutes (of the 30) trying to teach the girls stretches, and the remaining time trying to show them 1st and 2nd positions and leaping.
By the end of the lesson (during which no music was played) we were ALL ready to go home. Norah was crying, I was frustrated, and Jeff was worn out from taking pictures and trying to chase Justin (as well as keep him from joining the class).
We learned that this teacher (while incredibly sweet) had never taught this age group before, and they accidentally failed to mention that parental attendance was required in the course description. We probably would have made a different class selection if we had known those details. After the second class went worse than the first, I spoke to the program coordinator, and learned that we were not the only ones frustrated by the class format.
We hoped Norah would enjoy dancing in class as much as she does at home, and would benefit from more structure. We only want this class to nurture her already present love for dance and for her to gain a hunger and excitement for more. The instructor has since observed some other classes with the same age group, and the third class was a greater success. More time was spent moving to the music and they even got to play a game. All the girls seemed to have a great time, and we can't wait for the remaining classes!
2 comments:
Hope all goes well with future dance classes!
Hope all goes well with future dance classes!
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