What in your daily practice gets you really enthusiastic to find out more about? Who do you admire who also works with what makes you enthusiastic?
It sounds cliche but as a teacher it is the children I teach that make me enthusiastic. Therefore, things that I wish to know more about are discovering new games, behavioural management techniques and anything else that will improve my sessions making them as enjoyable as possible for my students. A company I admire greatly for their enthusiasm with children is Barracudas Activity Day Camps. This company set up Easter and Summer camps all over the country for children from the ages of 4 to 16. I am currently working for this company for a third time because it is such an enjoyable environment to work in. The children have an exceptional amount of variety when it comes to the activities they can choose from. Everyone employed to work on the camp is friendly and enthusiastic and it's brilliant seeing how much enjoyment the children get out of it. This is all down to the company being organised, thorough and constantly pro-active when it comes to thinking of fresh ways for children to have fun. The company inspire me to bring all my enthusiasm, positivity and imagination to work every day. Without my first contract with Barracudas, I wouldn't have discovered my love for working with children.
What gets you angry or makes you sad? Who do you admire who shares your feelings or has found a way to work around the sadness or anger?
Something that I find terribly frustrating is the lack of importance Performing Arts has in many schools. Coming from a performing arts background, I know how much my involvement in performing arts in school moulded me as a person. I made most of my closest friendships through participation in performance arts based clubs and shows and learnt life skills such as discipline and comittment. Performing Arts isn't just a hobbie to fill up spare time. Although it is enjoyable and doesn't always have to be taken seriously, it is still something that all children and young adults should have the opportunity to get involved with. Many campaigns are being made for the government to fund the arts in more schools. I admire anyone involved in making performing arts more accesible to all young people. The article link I'm adding is about how expensive performing arts is and how it's becoming exclusive to the upper class.
http://www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2012/feb/10/posh-theatre-upper-class-actors
What do you love about what you do? Who do you admire who also seems to love this or is an example of what you love?
I love being able to see the progress and improvement of children's abilities and knowing I've played a big part in that. I like to think that some of the children will always remember me for being a supportive, positive and fun teacher who helped them achieve something truly special. I admire two very influencial teachers I had as I was growing up, who really nutured and encouraged my love of performing arts. Even now, I think back and remember how inspiring and supportive their tuition was for me. Both of these teachers still keep in touch with me to hear about my ongoing work and achievements, often inviting me to teach for them or assist them. Again, I hope that I will create this bond with future students.
What do you feel you don't understand? Who do you admire who does seem to understand it or who has found a way of not understanding it interesting or beautiful? Or has asked the same questions as you?
Something I still struggle to understand and question on a regular basis, is teaching qualifications. I don't agree that just because someone has a teaching qualification, they are automatically a good teacher. Same as I don't agree that someone without a teaching qualification is a bad teacher. I think more schools (academic and vocational performing arts schools) should be open minded to the idea that a degree graduate with relevant experience could do as good a job as someone with a teaching qualification. I know that at the stage I am currently at, I could deliver a high standard of teaching within a secondary school to a dance or performing arts class. However, I am having to spend two more years studying in order to be qualified to do it. Of course I will learn even more than I already know in those two years, but I would also learn from having more experience if I were to go straight into the job. I don't yet know anyone who has asked these same questions as me, but it's something I definitely would like to research more.
How do you decide the appropriate ethical response in a given situation? To what extent are disciplinary responses different to that you might expect more generally in society?
For this question, I've tried to think about relating it to teaching. Two main topics have come to mind. Firstly, as a dance teacher it is important for me to be able to correct the alignment of my pupils. This requires me having to use my hands to change the line of their body. This can be a sensitive subject in this day and age, so I have to be extremely careful about asking the pupil if it's okay for me to correct them. I have never encountered a problem so far as most parents know that this is something that needs to be done in order for the child to understand and improve. But generally, teachers as a whole are told not to have any physical contact with a child, even in the case of a hug to comfort them. My second thoughts are based around social media. In general society, it is perfectly normal to look up anyone on social media and add them as a friend. It is acceptable to speak your mind and post pictures of anything you please. However, as a teacher I have to make sure everything I post would be suitable if read by one of my pupils or their parents. My profile settings must always be private and I'm not allowed to give out any social media details (unless professional profiles for advertisement purposes). This was something that I found difficult at first as I have never had to worry that much about what I posted. It is now just second nature that I take care with all things social media related.
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