Thoughts from parents please!

[drdance]

Must be one of the best volunteer jobs at the Olympics !! (Not)

That and the poor chap who was standing near the end of the vault during the qualification rounds....

[Picturesinthefirelight]

Didn't someone break their leg?

[drdance]

Didn't someone break their leg?

Yes - double lower leg fracture (tib and fib). The "crack" echoed around the arena. He was lucky not to break the skin or sever an artery - not that he's feeling very lucky right now.

[Balletfanp]

God, I saw the video - made me feel sick! ????

[alison]

We've got rather sidetracked here!

 

Drdance, if you'd like one of the Mods to change the title a bit to make it clearer what the thread's about, please do ask.

[drdance]

Yes it might be a good idea to do so - it needs to be relative to the topic but something that will potentially bring other parents to the forum via a Google search. Any suggestions gratefully received!

[Canary]

Gosh did anyone create a site where parents can freely share genuine concerns about teachers ?

[annaliesey]

Yes Canary

 

http://saferchildrensdance.co.uk/

 

There's a whistleblowing section where concerns can be submitted and then passed into the relevant professional body anonymously for most organisations (except RAD unfortunately who only wanted to refer to their full blown grievance procedure at our last contact with them but I am overdue in following this up).

[Cara in NZ]

I've just read this whole thread with great interest. I'm really happy to say that our dance school has a camera at the back of each studio, with the classes displayed on a large screen in the waiting room (split screen when more than one class is on). When a class is on during rush-hour, it's easier for me to stay with a magazine, but you certainly don't think they have anything to hide! Plus parents are always invited to watch private lessons. But would this be unusual in the UK?

[taxi4ballet]

I've just read this whole thread with great interest. I'm really happy to say that our dance school has a camera at the back of each studio, with the classes displayed on a large screen in the waiting room (split screen when more than one class is on). When a class is on during rush-hour, it's easier for me to stay with a magazine, but you certainly don't think they have anything to hide! Plus parents are always invited to watch private lessons. But would this be unusual in the UK?

I don't know personally of any schools which have cctv, and funnily enough, my dd goes out of her way to avoid letting me watch her in class! 

[Fiz]

So did mine.

[Pups_mum]

I used to go to DD's private lessons when she was very little but stopped when she got to about 7 or 8. Partly it was just logistics (private lesson was after another lesson so long enough for me to go home)but also because her teacher felt she didn't concentrate as well if I was there. Certainly I could believe that, and on the odd occasion it was a bit awkward if she was messing about a bit and I was never quite sure if it was my job or her teacher's to tell her off! So I was quite happy to leave really. And of course by the time she was a teenager she didn't want me watching!

[2dancersmum]

One of the dance schools my DD went to had a camera in one of their studios that fed to the parents waiting area/café, no sound, just visual. It made the wait a bit more interesting as I did not have time to go home while she danced. She was a teenager by then and did not really want me watching but actually she would forget about the camera as soon as the class started.  At her other dance school she had private lessons and I was occasionally asked in to the last ten minutes of a lesson to watch a particular dance she had learned

[Pas de Quatre]

After many years of teaching I have found that parents watching totally changes the dynamics of the class.  Pre school classes can watch whenever they want and many parents stay permanently.  Primary school age there is a watching class towards the end of term, but I try to be flexible to accommodate working shifts, visits from grandparents etc.  Senior school pupils i.e, Yr 7 and above it wasn't working so I eventually dropped it.  Either they did not tell their parents or there would be a sudden epidemic of 24 hour flu!!! It was simply counter-productive.  However, all pupils take part in at least one performance a year, and seniors often two or three.  So parents can see for themselves if the pupils are happy and making progress.  

 

This is of course in addition to exams.  But results don't always tell the full story and not all pupils want to take exams.

[Moomin]

I am very grateful that nobody can see me in class! I can see why they would have cameras and why it would be nice for parents but I also agree that a ballet class should be a 'safe' time to make mistakes and only look foolish in front of your teacher!

[annaliesey]

We shouldn't have to have cameras should we but then look at what they uncovered in care homes and with carers in own homes.

 

Funnily enough at the old school some cameras were "donated" and installed where it could be streamed to a tv in the waiting area for any parents to see. It soon wore off and the tv wouldn't be on!

 

There were also posters over the windows too to stop parents peering in.

 

I totally get it can be a distraction but having been through what we've been through I wouldn't go anywhere now where I specifically could not watch or listen out if I wanted to, even if that means just walking past a window or door.

[Cara in NZ]

I think the point of having a camera at the back of the studio is that the kids forget about it, ie don't feel like they are being filmed. It also means that parents (except for one who is a dance teacher) don't try to peer in through the 'viewing window' (high up enough that you have to be standing to see through it) – which IS distracting!

I always go to private lessons as often I'm filming dances to remember choreography, or for DD to review what she did. Also, we discuss what competitions are coming up, what she is preparing for, what she needs to go over etc. DD is 13 and likes having me there, so maybe we are unusual – but she hates me peering in the window!

[2dancersmum]

To be honest the idea of a camera did bother my DD before she took her first class at that studio but she soon saw that the definition on the tv screen and the positioning of the camera was such that it gave an overview of the studio but was not such that you could really identify anyone. Most parents in the waiting area (and often there were none) barely even glanced at the screen. It was only because we were new and having travelled some distance to get there we did not know anyone. So I either watched or read my book or both.

[Canary]

Thank you Annaliesey. I've completed the survey. Very interesting.