How do parents choose a teacher? (or know if they're getting good teaching?

[Pups_mum]

I think I was incredibly lucky when I chose my DD's school. I had no prior knowledge, and, to perfectly honest, I didn't think a great deal about it. DD was only 2 and a half when she started asking for ballet lessons (having seen footage of a ballet class on the Tweenies tv programme!) and I fully expected that she would get bored and move on to some other hobby after a fairly short time. I never suspected that dancing would become the all consuming passion that it is.

Anyway, I ignored the pleas for a couple of months but as she was extremely persistent,I eventually gave in and said I would see if I could find somewhere. We had just moved areas at the time,so I had nothing to go on, so I just asked around at work and nursery. I got the same answer from pretty much everyone and almost certainly would have enrolled her in the large, long established school everyone mentioned, were it not for a last minute twist of fate. We had been living in rented accomodation since we moved to the area and hadn't really seen a house we wanted to buy. Then, in the midst of DD's begging for ballet classes, we found a house, and moved into it fairly quickly. This meant that the suggested school was now nowhere near as conveniently located, so I decided to look at what else was on offer, hoping for somewhere nearer.I picked up the Yellow Pages and found the nearest school. I noticed the letters RAD in the advert so I looked up what that meant, and was impressed by the RAD website, so I rang the principal, who sounded really nice. So I made the decision largely based on convenience and the teacher's telephone manner.....not very scientific!

I had however, by sheer luck, enrolled DD in what I strongly believe to be the best dance school in our area, and she has thrived there, both as a dancer and as a person. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I had chosen differently. Would I have realised at some point that standards differ between schools as much as they do? Would I have chosen to move DD, and would she have wanted to move? Would she have even grown to love dancing as much as she does without the nurturing she has had from her teachers at her current school? Without that, maybe my initial expectations would have been right and she would have been asking for gymnastics or pony riding lessons within a few months. Who knows. I just feel very fortunate to have chosen the school I did, and the more my own knowledge on the subject has grown over the years, the happier about that choice I have become.

I got even luckier a few months ago when the school moved location, to new studios at the bottom of our road, making it even more ideal. But had the move taken the school further away, it wouldn't have mattered to me. Convenience was my top priority 14 years ago, but it definitely wouldn't be now!

[Millie3]

DD at 5 started the local dance school - only one in the town.  Wouldn't have even thought about looking elsewhere.  She always achieved by far the highest marks in all her exams and at 10 went off to audition for vocational school - there we saw the huge range of abilities and found out how competitive the ballet world is.  DDs dance school, although supporting her application, never encouraged the children to take part in anything out of their own school.  It was a huge money making machine - all costumes/shoes etc bought through the teacher and you had to buy them to take part in the shows (up to 4/5 costumes required each time).  DD wanted to do more ballet, so we looked at an associate scheme - however she was told not to mention to anyone that she attended.  They did agree for her to attend another school for vocational grades.  It was at this school that we realised how very different the teaching was - original school packed them to the rafters, had "helpers" teaching the lower grades and all girls were sold the same pointe shoes. 

 

Both schools taught RAD - but what a difference!  If you have no knowledge of ballet and have no comparison - I guess local is where people will head.

[grumpybearzuk]

My dd started at 4 and like a lot if people didn't really have a idea and to be honest didn't even research anything. I went on yell and phoned up 3 schools around my area had to leave voice messages on all of them. And the first person who phones me back I went to see!! Luckily for us she is a amazing teacher and gives them lots if opportunities and I wouldn't have changed her for the world! They don't do festivals or anything but her teacher is always on lookout for her students to do. And to be honest at 4 all I wanted was to see my little girl skipping around in a pink tutu I wasn't even thinking about careers or anything ( and was quite disappointed when they had blue leotards and little skirts)

[Balletnewbie]

Hi complete ballet newbie here!

I was just wondering how do you know that extra classes like stretching and pbt are actually beneficial for a dc and not just a way to make more money?

Should dc be a minimum age or grade before starting these classes?

Or as I'm

Any insight would be grateful received

Thanks

[Balletnewbie]

Hi complete ballet newbie here!

I was just wondering how do you know that extra classes like stretching and pbt are actually beneficial for a dc and not just a way to make more money?

Should dc be a minimum age or grade before starting these classes?

Or as I'm

Any insight would be grateful received

Thanks

[Snape]

Hello Balletnewbie,

 

If your school is lucky enough to be able to offer stretching for the younger ones ( or older ones) I would take it.

You really need to start stretching before the age of 7, it is sooo much harder to acquire after that age. Not impossible though, just much harder work!

They need to keep up the stretching as well, it is no use doing it every now and then, needs to be consistently and frequently.

 

That said it does depend on the quality of the class, you need to be stretching the correct area's, in the correct way ( if it is for ballet) Gymnastics and ballet share some things, but there are things that need stretching differently as well, so a ballet specific stretching class is good. What is pbt?

 

Most dance schools offer a discount or free classes after you have paid for so many.

How old/grade is your child?

[Picturesinthefirelight]

I so wish dd had had access to stretch/ Pilates at her old dance school as she was at a big disadvantage.

[Balletnewbie]

Thank you so much for your replies! From your responses we're actually quite lucky to have the classes available in one place, and I shouldn't listen to people who say she's too young or little.

Pbt is progressing ballet technique, which from what I can gather is to help muscle memory

 

www.progressingballettechnique.com

 

Dd has just turned 7 and will be taking her grade 1 exam this exam period!

[Katymac]

I was just lucky; DD found a teacher in the yellow pages & I arranged a private lesson for her

 

The teacher came round for a cup of tea afterwards & said don't expect miracles but I think she is teachable (despite her age 13y10m) & the rest as they say is history

 

But I knew the teacher was good because:

a) she talked like a teacher

she didn't 'promise' anything

c) she listened to what we wanted (this is not happening at a gym class DD is going to now....so we may change)

d) it wasn't "all about the money"

e) she continued to communicate with us and offered alternate classes when things needed to change

 

We were SO lucky

 

btw I can't make the smilie go away it was supposed to be b )

Edited June 17, 2014 by Katymac

[CeliB]

I think what I have been so impressed with in regard to a good teacher is the attention to detail for EVERY student irrespective of their ability or ambition.

 

As an example, my DD and DS who both dance recreationally both attended a local dance school over the course of about 5 years. This school has a good reputation and 2 of its students got places at White Lodge in time period DD and DS were there. However in the school show I saw older dancers (16/17 ish) on pointe but looking shockingly bad (more 'off' their pointes than 'on' I would say)- I don't understand why they would be allowed to dance on pointe when they clearly weren't able to do so properly. We were continually messed around by changes of scheduling (literally every term the days and times changed). Finally DD asked to go to DS's vaganova teacher as she said she couldn't stand seeing students doing exercises completely wrong but not being corrected. Now I fully admit I know zip about ballet, but I can only assume that the teaching must have been more rigorous for those with talent and less so for those without; I can't explain the success of the small number of students alongside the poor teaching for others in any other way...

 

With DSs old teacher I get no such complaints. She made DD immediately throw away her pointe shoes which she said were badly fitted and terrible for her feet (she had been on them a year and the other teacher had been fine with them), completely restarted her pointe training, and eventually (after a year) told her to give up pointe as she wasn't developing her leg muscles sufficiently to be safe. DD was slightly disappointed but completely in agreement and happy with the decision. She still loves the classes. The teacher has an adult class including women older than me (yes folks that's pretty aged), which still manages to stretch DS when he attends on his break from vocational school. Clearly none of this older women are aiming for a career but they get the same level of rigorous correction as vocational 16 year olds.

 

To me that is the mark of an extraordinarily good teacher- teaching which aims to make everyone as good as they can be, not just developing the best students or those who are going to show the 'sparkliest' outcomes....

[aileen]

If the students got into White Lodge at 11 then that would have had very little to do with the actual teaching at your children's school because at 11 it's all about the body and, as has been mentioned before on these forums, a student can get in having done almost no ballet if s/he shows potential and seems keen.

[JLAEI]

I agree that the mark of a really good teacher is aiming to make everyone fulfil their potential. Much harder to make a proficient dancer out of someone with little natural ability, but it can be done  

[balletqs]

I do agree that White lodge look for physique however the child's attitude and ability to show an aptitude for vocational training is assessed plus musicality, technical awareness etc and this is all very carefully nurtured by a good teacher

[Ellie]

Balletqs,I wholeheartedly agree, but I would also comment that it is generally easier to teach and nurture those with 'physique, attitude, musicality and technical awareness'....In my opinion the mark of a good teacher is one who finds ways to work with and improve those students who do not immediately display those attributes....Recreational or vocational, but who love dance and want to do their very best....(disinterest and laziness on a student's behalf are, in my experience, a different matter...)

[drdance]

It's also worth pointing out that a large majority of children getting places at WL these days have also been attending weekly associate classes (of several hours duration) for at least a year. One would assume the teaching in these is good so perhaps that provides enough to allow the talent to be visible at audition?

[balletqs]

Ellie that was in response to Aileens comment, I couldn't re quote. Yes absolutely a good teacher will make something of any child and, personally, I pride myself on that. People may see that as big headed but it took me a long time to have self belief. Beware the teacher also who broadcasts success with children when they have poached them from another school not that we have had that problem, but sometimes parents need to scratch below the surface.

[CeliB]

. Beware the teacher also who broadcasts success with children when they have poached them from another school

 

RBS Upper school guilty?

[Legseleven]

I don't think RBS upper school should be considered guilty of poaching students any more than any other vocational upper school as one of its main audition ages is for entry at 16. I had read balletqs's comment as referring to non-vocational dance schools but may be wrong.

[CeliB]

its not so much the poaching I question as the credit they take for their students success post US, when many of those students had the majority of their training elsewhere. And my comment reflects in part my own frustration with the difficulty in really evaluating a school's quality of training based on post 16 success when they didn't train all those students prior to age 16....

to be honest schools should actually publish their outcomes based on the year group they accepted age 11, as this would be a far more comparable group (and they can't complain about physical changes as surely all schools have to cope with this same issue so again would be comparing like with like).

Edited June 19, 2014 by CeliB

[balletqs]

I certainly wasn't referring to US I was referring to non vocational schools as this is what this thread is regarding.

[taxi4ballet]

Balletqs,I wholeheartedly agree, but I would also comment that it is generally easier to teach and nurture those with 'physique, attitude, musicality and technical awareness'....In my opinion the mark of a good teacher is one who finds ways to work with and improve those students who do not immediately display those attributes....Recreational or vocational, but who love dance and want to do their very best....(disinterest and laziness on a student's behalf are, in my experience, a different matter...)

I agree too, and naturally at most non-vocational/recreational dance schools the vast majority of the students will not have the requisite attributes for a career in dance or have no particular wish to do so, seeing dance as an enjoyable hobby.

 

Everyone will be paying the same fees, and all will hopefully be receiving an equal share of the teacher's attention. 

[Sadielou]

Parents have to decide what they want from a school do they want their child to do exams, performances, festivals, just exercise or dance purely for fun. A schools priorities should all be shown on the schools web site . From a teachers point of view it is very frustrating when parents are obviously only sending their daughters so they can wear a cute pink ballet outfit, or for social reasons, a friends DD goes to a certain class so my daughter needs to be in the same one (even if not suitable) or to fit into a packed timetable, DD only has Tuesdays at 5pm free can she come to that class (even if the students are 2 years older). It often makes me wonder wether certain parents care at all about the quality of teaching as long as the class fits in to their busy schedule. School shows are always notoriously difficult for so many reasons. It is impossible to only let the talented dancers take the spot light as all parents want to see their child on stage regardless of ability. So to parents of a more talented child these other students may not look up to much, however I personally think hard work and enthusiasm should be rewarded as long as the teacher is careful to give these less talented students, flattering costumes and choreography. Have to agree to a certain extent about physique being of uppermost importance for WL, however it does take slightly more than that and have known several children with great bodies that didn't have a dancers brain or the dance quality to ever make it to WL  and all though I have nothing but praise for Associate classes, I do think that students still need the nurturing of their local dance teacher. I would however always encourage any child that I thought had a chance of a ballet career to audition for vocational school as I think it is extremely hard to fit in the hours needed in an after school scenario and it only gets harder as GCSE's get closer. Talented students also need the healthy competition of others like themselves.

[aileen]

Sadielou, a local school will not keep going for long if it only wants to accept 'serious' dancers as there are not enough of them. I don't think that a teacher should be frustrated by having to teach students who only want to attend one or two lessons a week. Most children in the UK try out a variety of activities when they are young. It's not like some countries abroad where children who do ballet start to train intensively from a young age. Some students will want to do ballet recreationally into their teens, attending one or two ballet classes a week, doing exams and perhaps taking part in the school's shows, and a teacher should be happy to accommodate this. If a teacher only wants to teach 'serious' dancers then s/he should get a job at a vocational school.

[Sadielou]

Aileen I agree totally, however if you read back  the posts on this stream some of the parents of the more serious dancers are the ones that get frustrated and don't understand when a non serious DC is put on the stage and doesn't look of a standard they deem as "good" after which they write that particular school off as not being of a high standard. As I said in my post, in my opinion any child with talent will do better at a full time vocational school as most schools in the UK (there are exceptions) are really catering for those children that are dancing as a hobby, and as those children are generally in the majority it is very difficult to give the talented child what they need in that particular environment. The point I was trying to make was that regardless of wether a child is dancing for a hobby or to make it a career, it is frustrating that some parents ( not all ) do not look more carefully into the quality of the teaching rather than going somewhere that is simply on the right day and time, even if it is just a hobby.