As a new season starts with new and returning students, we believe that the way you start your first class will leave a big impression on the students and how they behave in your class. As that old saying goes you only have one chance to make a good first impression. This is especially true when it comes to teaching dance. If you have been teaching long enough then you have experienced a class or two where you spend most of your time trying to keep order. Upon further review we believe that when this happens it is also the teachers who must take a certain amount of responsibility and not let any class get to that point. By setting the tone right from the start you will lay the ground work for any issues that may come up later in the season.
We give our faculty a list of guidelines that are read to each class during the first week of classes. These guidelines spell out the way we expect the students to act and behave not only during classes but in the building in general. We like to call them guidelines and not rules. When we review these guidelines we like to keep it upbeat and try to get the students to understand that by following these guidelines it will make it more fun and enjoyable for everyone. The last thing you want is to have a class that you are constantly reprimanding. That is a real energy zapper and will make your life a misery. By setting the right tone from the beginning you can then constantly reinforce the guidelines throughout the first couple of months so that after that it should be a non issue.
It is important if you are an independent teacher that you talk to the studio owner or director to check with them that your guidelines coincide with theirs before proceeding to give the students your rules or guidelines. I am sure that once you explain that you would like to implement your system to get the students in your classes to have more fun by following the guidelines that you have suggested, more than likely the studio owner will be in favor. If there are any problems you can iron them out prior to meeting with the students. If you are a studio owner I highly recommend that you set up the guidelines and have your faculty get on board with them. You could even have them add to your list if they come up with a good idea that you may not have thought of. The key here is that if you can maintain the same standards for each class then all the faculty and students will benefit from this system. It is important to explain that these guidelines have been set up for the students to have more fun and experience a greater joy in their classes. If every teacher in the studio where you teach as an independent teacher could come together and build the guideline list and then uphold it to the students it would be a terrific thing.
When a system is set and students in every class know that they are expected to behave in a certain way it makes it so much easier to keep them on track. Here are some pointers to think about:
How you would like the students to behave the minute they enter the studio? Talking in class can be an issue. Decide ahead of time how you are going to handle it. If a student is rude or disrespectful their must be a system of how you will deal with it. It would be great if you responded the same way every time someone gets out of hand. We have found that dismissing a student from class always makes a big statement
How do you want the students to dress? This is very important if you want to have some kind of uniformity. In the first couple of week you may need to give the students some leeway but make it known that you expect them to have the proper attire, sooner rather than later!
How would you like them to wear their hair? This is a big one and all the faculty must be on board for this one. Grooming, in our opinion, is one of the biggest things that we focus on. If the students learn nothing more than how to have a good appearance then at least we have given them a wonderful life skill.
Get the parents on board. Let them know that you expect a certain level of decorum from all the students. That by doing so you will also be helping the students to develop self discipline. Most parents will be on board with that. Try not to make it sound or feel like a military camp. This is why we call them guidelines and not rules or regulations. We always try to make it sound fun and upbeat when discussing how we want things to run. If you can get the students to buy into what you are saying and they believe that you have their best interest in mind, it is easy to get them to follow. By implementing these systems, we have found that for the most part we have had very little trouble with student behavior problems. Try to set the right tone in the very beginning and the rest of the season will be a good one!
