Reliable, Knowledgeable and Professional…
Three words that are the gateway to building a great reputation!
As a dance teacher the one thing that you have that can make or break you is your reputation. You may want to read that a few times because it really is the key to your success.
Here is something very important to remember…
How you conduct yourself not only with your boss but with your students, parents and fellow faculty members says a lot about you. Here is the key, if you are not conducting yourself in a professional manner than you are not only jeopardizing what you are worth to your employer but your potential to keep being employed!
4 Important tips to making sure your reputation is impeccable!
1. Always and I mean always be on time! This is the one factor that will drive your boss crazy. I don’t care if you are the best teacher on the planet. If you can’t be on time I wouldn’t hire you for anything and I wouldn’t recommend you to anyone either. In the dance school business, classes must start and end on time. YES, both are equally important! Parents are way too busy running around shopping, picking up other kids and working. So, if a class is always starting late or finishing late this will be an irritant. If you are always late this will signal to your employer that you are not serious, that you can’t be counted on and that you are unreliable! Not the kind of reputation you need to have following you around. If you have been late in the past make it your business to change or you will never achieve the kind of success you truly desire
2. Do not befriend the students. This is so important nowadays. The last thing you want is for your students to know all about your personal life. This will be a sure fire way for you to have problems with the students, their parents and your boss. I have heard about teachers emailing students, sending them text messages and having them be friends on one of the social networks. BIG mistake! If you have a Facebook page ALWAYS set one up just for you as a teacher where you can promote your classes, your work and your students. Use it as a tool so that you can relay messages about who you are as a professional. Do not “friend” a student on your personal account where they can see you partying, making off color comments, read about your daily woes or see what you do behind closed doors. I like Facebook but it can be very dangerous to you as a professional if you are not careful.
3. Always be prepared. This may take you some time each week but it will be a BIG key to your classes being successful. Think of it this way. If you were a surgeon would you walk into surgery without any thought to what procedure you were going to follow? Of course not! Make a plan each week and proceed with the plan. Make it flexible so you can change direction if you need to but I recommend that you never go into a class not knowing what you are going to do. A well thought out class plan will make you a star at your school!
4. Continue to learn! It is easy to get a bit burnt out if you are not careful. And it can come at the most inopportune time! Keep your creativity alive by finding out what your hot buttons are. Aside from watching dance videos, teacher training videos and live dance performances, find out where you are most at peace with yourself. Where do you feel the most freedom? Go there and bring a note pad and just think! You may even want to play some music that stirs your creative juices. Go to seminars, conferences and any other place where like minded professionals gather so you can network, exchange ideas and learn. The best teachers are the ones who never stop learning!
I love the Zig Ziglar quote:
“It’s not your aptitude that determines your altitude it’s your attitude!”
Now let that sink into your head for a while. The question is how is yours? Do you need an attitude adjustment? The good news is that you are in control of your thoughts, acts and deeds! Look, the reality is that if you are not happy where you are working you need to get together with your employer and see if you can work it out. If not it is probably best for all parties that you move on. No one is putting a gun to anyone’s head saying that you must work for them. If you are bitter, unhappy and unproductive who is that really hurting? Mostly you and your reputation!
There is an old saying “Your reputation will proceed you” Since it gets there first, let the news about you be a headline that reads…
(Your Name Here) is a wonderful, caring person who is reliable, knowledgeable and always professional!
Now how good does that sound?
Here’s to your success!
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