Ready 2020!

The start of a new calendar year – enrollments in motion with new and returning students. Planning already underway across exams, competitions, lessons and training. Already there’s a buzz building around the studio, lots of questions, paperwork, and everyone getting kit to join classes and explore!

What are the big questions on the minds of teachers as they head into 2020? Is it – practice, creativity, challenges and importantly fun for each student to achieve their goals and aspirations? Are we giving our students what they need?

First and foremost, it’s important to convey the spirit and culture of the studio to your community. A school is family. Children come from an endless range of different family structures, backgrounds and cultures. They also have a variety of interests, learning styles and abilities. Despite all these differences which enrich our learning environment, everyone should feel included and welcomed in their studio community. Positive studio communities create opportunities for children, families and staff to feel included and benefit from understanding experiences and cultures that may be different to their own.

When children feel included, when they are part of a community that promotes inclusion and respect for everybody, they show more caring and compassion towards others, and they feel safer and more secure. In a positive studio community, every face has a place, every voice is valued, and everyone has something to contribute.

Just as students need to be valued and mentored by their teachers so too does every teacher – that person who challenges, advises and celebrates with you! If you don’t have a mentor or have not fostered mentoring in your studio dynamics, pause and consider – who will advocate for weekly collaboration time? Who swoops in and covers a lesson that’s not quite gone to plan? But most importantly who do you call to share achievements and challenges?

Mentorship is vital in our industry amongst teachers and students. Mentors aren’t just friends – they are more than that! They are amazing practitioners who pass on their knowledge through informal conversation and everyday support. They push back and disagree with you. They help you develop your practitioner voice and they keep you as sharp as a tac for the year ahead.

At the beginning of our teaching careers, we are assigned mentors, perhaps through a formal induction program meant to help support our practice. New teachers definitely need this scaffold! Personally, my firm belief is an assigned mentor will never achieve the natural balance of a mentor relationship that forms by itself. An assigned mentor is one thing – a great point of reference and a guide to support you as teaching becomes a second skin. But finding that person on your own who can challenge you, advise you, and celebrate you, helps you embrace being reflective and encourages you to take risks.

What Makes A Good Mentor?

Respects what you’re trying to do and helps push you to solve the problem using a different perspective.

Listens, but knows when to hold up their hand to make you pause and listen.

Collaborates, shares the air, and lives for reciprocal learning.

Celebrates your successes.

Gives you a safe space to vent, air, complain, and contemplate error.

Models best practices while still appreciating differences in teaching style.

I’ll also throw this out there: Newer teachers can be mentors, too. Mentorship doesn’t have to be based on seniority over another—it can also be about those who can help us rise in our practice and in our spirit. It isn’t all about technique and practice expertise; it’s also about attitude and leadership.

We May Not Remember Everything You Have Said

But We Will Remember How Special You Made Us Feel