taxi4ballet Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 (edited) (looking back is easy sometimes isn't it ). It sure is - if I'd known then what I know now (and if I'd found this forum earlier!!) , we would have moved dd out of her old school much sooner. Edited March 7, 2015 by taxi4ballet 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annaliesey Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Interesting to hear other people's stories We are currently going through a bit of a wobble and I'm thinking through different options at the moment I can understand the lack of recognition as it must be very difficult for a teacher to openly praise and celebrate successes when to the whole audience of parents it must seem as though it's the same few all the time. I know that successes end up with a barrage of "what about my daughter" conversations from other mums. Ive felt very sorry for our ballet teacher from time to time when I hear some of the conversations and pressure that she gets put under and honestly think some mums are outright manipulative bullies! She encouraged us to go for EYB first time around and was very proud and supportive but I saw a host of mums jump on her with "how come you told her to go for it and not us" and it became very uncomfortable with jealous mums Second time my daughter did EYB was a different story and to be quite honest I don't know how we stayed at the dance school because of things that were said and how my dd was made to feel. From the get go they wanted her to not do it (she's short and we all knew she would get a the shortest dancers parts which weren't that challenging) but my daughter absolutely loved the technique classes, the under studying and lastly the performance opportunity and begged me to do it. My 9yo dd was put on the spot to choose between the competition team and EYB and told if she didn't give up EYB (after we thought it was sorted and we'd paid) then she would be booted off the comp team. In front of a load of people my daughter said she chose EYB and got the response "is that your decision or your mums?". How I kept my calm I'll never know but I just shrugged it off and so did dd although we were pressured into having a sickie and missing EYB dress rehearsal for a comp to show loyalty! Since then other children have been successful in things and one girl is now doing LCB and the attitude has changed and settled into being more supportive thankfully. Where I'm at now is with being held back for syllabus and exams as things are just too slow for dd in an environment of waiting to move kids up in groups. I wish there was a different mindset for dancers who are genuinely aiming for vocational versus the dancers who are just recreational and don't want to work that hard. I'm utterly fed up with the pace and silliness at the moment and how all the mums are handled and am having a good think Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 That doesn't sound like a particularly supportive atmosphere for everyone 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
straceydor Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 My DD teacher's are so supportive that they go to see the DC when they are doing other things, shows, panto etc. They go even when they know that their might be people who will be negative to them around. We are so lucky to have such nice teachers 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gingerbread Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 We've had teachers supportive of NYB but not EYB due to perceived difference in standards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 We've had teachers supportive of NYB but not EYB due to perceived difference in standards. We've had exactly the opposite due to perceived difference in costs!!! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annaliesey Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Interesting comment about costs You can understand tensions with associate classes if they are just marketed as such by competing dance schools. It must be difficult for teachers if associate classes are not perceived by them to be particularly credible and an excuse to poach serious/best students Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 It must be difficult for teachers if associate classes are not perceived by them to be particularly credible and an excuse to poach serious/best students It would depend on who the associate classes are being run by. Some teachers don't seem all that keen on Royal associates, or Tring CBA or Central, or CAT schemes, and those classes can hardly be said to fall into that category!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dance*is*life Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 (edited) I had a really good boy, whom I encouraged to do summer courses and other stuff, including coaching with another boy and a male teacher. He tried out for a full time educational performing arts school here and was totally put off by the scathing way they reacted to his telling them that he had done the RBS SS - as if their summer course was better! Excuse me - we're talking about the RBS here! In the end he went to Elmhurst for two years and it was the making of him. And their attitude lost the local school a very good male student....... It also cost his mother a great deal of money Edited March 17, 2015 by Dance*is*life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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