Here we are again, it's hard to believe that an entire year has gone by like a bolt of lightning, and yet it is time to give thanks and what better time for those of us in the USA than at Thanksgiving? For those of you who do not have a formal Thanksgiving holiday in the country where you live you can certainly share this day with us or make your own. It really doesn't matter what day or time of year there is always room to give thanks to those that bring positivity to our lives.
Dance teachers are constantly giving of themselves to their students, their employers and their families. Very often in that order! This a great time of year to reinforce to our loved ones that you recognize what a sacrifice it is for them and you too when you are not always able to be there for them because of rehearsals, competitions or performances. Sometimes we need a moment to stop and reflect on the positives of having a job, actually doing something that we love on most days! Yes we do all have those occasional moments when our love for dance is tested! However, usually if you can look beyond those moments we have a fantastic opportunity to mold young students by giving them the technical tools to help them by gaining confidence to become not only good dancers but good people too.
There are times as a teacher when it is easy to feel under appreciated by your students and your employer. Students often don't really realize how much you are helping them until they move away and go to college or start to work. Even then sometimes it can take years before the penny suddenly drops and out of the blue you will receive a letter or email from a former student telling you how much they appreciate what you did for them and how much they learned from you. It is always great to receive those letters because it keeps your belief in what you are doing moving ahead. We always tell our students that when they get a correction it is like a gift and that they should be so thankful for it. Sometimes I thank my students for receiving the gift and acting on it. It is so great when they take that correction and make it their business to work on it, I love that! Those simple two words, "Thank You" can make a huge difference to both teacher and student. I like to ask my students to make a list of the 10 things that they are most thankful for. It is always interesting not only to hear what they put in those lists but also the order they go in.
Do you feel that your employer is always rushing past you and that you never get an opportunity to sit down and discuss your classes, your choreography or anything else? Perhaps they are trying to juggle a number of things at once or maybe they are so happy with your work and how you present yourself to your students and their parents that they don't feel they need to take the time to let you know what an exceptional job you are doing. 9 times out of 10 the studio owner or your boss is not trying to ignore you they just get so caught up in the day to day hustle bustle that they forget to take those important moments with you. If you see that this is happening to you ask to have an appointment to sit down with them to discuss whatever it is that you would like to go over and then when you do let, them know how important those meetings are to you. Having meetings is a fantastic way for both sides to let the other know how much they are appreciated.
A smile is one of the best gifts that can be given from one human being to the other. Not only does a smile release dopamine, which improves your mood but it will also get the person who you are smiling at to react in a positive way in their brain too! Smiling and laughter can be extremely contagious so why not spread the joy? Be that person that is a pleasure to work with. Find people to smile at throughout your day and you will feel great and so will they!
Find ways to give back to the communities that you live and work in. So many people's lives can be improved through dance. Perhaps it is teaching a dance class to adults who have always wanted to experience the joy of movement, or arranging a performance for seniors in a nursing home. There are many ways to go beyond your normal day to day routine and to share your love of dance with the world around you for those who are perhaps less fortunate. Dance has no language barriers and how thankful do we have to be as dance teachers that we are given the opportunity to bring this amazing art to those lucky enough to be around us!
