Teaching Philosophy
Why do I teach dance?
I am always trying to educate myself about new things, so as to become a better version of myself. Not the best version, because the idea of becoming the absolute best one could possibly be is an unattainable goal – how could one ever say that he has reached it? There are always new things to learn, new things to explore and do; therefore, education is a continuous process, one which should be lifelong. Tomorrow will bring new challenges and new opportunities, so the “best self” today can still be improved upon tomorrow. Therefore, continual education is the key to success.
While education is a lifelong endeavor, the seeds of it must be sown in childhood. If childhood education succeeds in instilling not only hard skills and knowledge, but also a love of learning, students will grow up to be adults who are continuously trying to become better than they were the day before – adults who aren’t afraid to change and who are willing to use their ever-increasing skills for the betterment of their community.
For me, dance education specifically was key to developing this appreciation for self-improvement. Through dance, I gained strength, competence, and confidence, and learned that with hard work, I can develop and grow. I attribute my success in many other areas, ranging from general academic classwork to spelling bees to leadership positions, to the qualities I received from dance. I was not a special case – I believe dance can help all children to gain new abilities, and more importantly, to fall in love with education and the potential to learn.
Dance is distinct from any other school subject: it is artistic, athletic, and academic all at once. Its uniqueness makes it more interesting and more accessible to students who may struggle in their other classes. It might be hard for some students to feel confident in an English or science course, but in dance, these same students may be interested, engaged, and comfortable, all of which leads to better success. Dance can be a place where struggling students shine! And succeeding in dance gives students a sense of autonomy and competence, leading them to enjoy school more and more. Their appreciation for education grows, and they develop into lifelong learners, all because dance helped them realize that school, and learning in general, is “for them.”
Additionally, dance causes students to grow and improve in many ways, so that through dance, they are working towards that unattainable “best version” of themselves. Dance uses “multiple intelligences” – it is kinesthetic, spatial, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, logical, linguistic, and naturalistic all at once (Kassing and Jay, 2003, based off the work of Howard Gardner). Dance is therefore a way for students to work on improving and increasing all of these intelligences. If we want students to become intelligent and successful in every area, dance is one of the best ways we can help them to grow. In dance, students must push themselves to their limits in every aspect of their minds and bodies, thus discovering and developing new abilities and finding that one is able to do what one couldn’t before.
As a dance educator, I want to guide students in becoming that “best version” of themselves. My class will emphasize the idea that we can never be a perfect dancer – and isn’t that exciting? If we were perfect, there would be nothing to work on, and the class would be boring. Growing is more important than perfection. Additionally, my class will stress that the world of dance is so varied and rich that there is always something new to learn. Just when we have reached proficiency in one style of dance – jazz, ballet, cha-cha – a new style comes from around the corner – breakdancing, kathak, Irish. It might be impossible to learn all the styles of dance, but isn’t it fun to try? Meanwhile, as students are developing these dispositions, they are growing smarter and stronger through their participation in dance activities, increasing their multiple intelligences so that they become a better version of themselves each and every day.
When one teaches dance to students, they become aware of the various ways in which they can grow and how fun growing can be. They understand that they can never be perfect, but that shouldn’t stop them from trying to be good. This lays the foundation for them to be engaged in education for the rest of their lives, always pushing to be the best that they can be – never quite getting there, but always becoming better than they were before.
Kassing, G., and Jay, D. M. (2003). Dance teaching methods and curriculum design.
Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.