Being a substitute teacher has given me the chance to see how others teach. One of my favorite memories was escorting a special-needs student to his dance class. He was taking dance as an enrichment and they were working him into one of their routines. Of course, he really stood out in a room full of statuesque girls, but no one minded.
The performing arts are in a different world entirely; dance is the only class where I’ve heard a teacher say “Show me some attitude.” On this day they were trying to learn a new routine, and they weren’t quite getting it. Everyone was so afraid of making a mistake that they were being very tentative. This was really frustrating their teacher. She was trying to tell them it’s okay to make mistakes; that’s the best way to learn. Finally she yelled “Screw up royally, and I can help you!”
Only in dance class….