At the end of the year or semester it is typical that we assess our student's progress , we look at how much they have learnt over the past year and we see if they are ready to move on to the next level. It is also a great time to assess our own progress and really take a good look at ourselves and what we have been able to accomplish with our students. Every year has a different set of challenges and it is always interesting to look back and see what really worked well and what needs some tweaking as far as our teaching skills go.
I can honestly say that every year when I do this self-evaluation It really helps me prepare myself for the upcoming semester because I have time over the summer to improve in the areas where I feel I could do better and bask in the light of success when I feel that I have really accomplished a lot and have achieved some terrific results. It really comes down to analyzing what went well and what didn't go so well. In our business, the proof is generally seen by all on stage but it can also be felt by the kind of response you get from your students. I know that through the years I have had some fantastic students and some that were extremely difficult but it is so rewarding when you can turn those difficult students around and help them to make progress both in dance and as human beings.
