This lovely story, via Anne Green Gilbert, deserves to be passed on — along with her greeting, which is the title of this post.
Entries Tagged as 'obstacles'
Time — urgent vs. sustained
September 27th, 2009 · 7 Comments · Uncategorized
I’ve had the opportunity to be thinking about time lately, both quantitatively & qualitatively — an opportunity that’s arisen from a drastic cut in the quantity of my instructional time this year. Not surprisingly, I perceive this cut to be affecting the quality of instruction. To cut to the quick, and at the risk of […]
An anecdote
September 2nd, 2009 · 2 Comments · Uncategorized
Last week while learning the particulars of Writers Workshop, I had to write a “personal narrative” in order to work through the process. Personal narratives — stories of small & true moments — are foundational in the Writers Workshop method. Since the one I developed came straight from my life as a dance educator, here […]
Translating Writers Workshop
August 31st, 2009 · Comments Off · Uncategorized
Pedagogy changes constantly. When I was a 5th-6th grade classroom teacher for a few years (15 years ago), the writing pedagogy sweeping through schools was characterized by 6 traits (content, voice, organization, word choice, fluency & conventions). I was trained in teaching the traits & scoring writing samples using rubrics built on them. Nowadays, however, […]
Tags:choreography·curriculum integration·getting started·obstacles·PD·teaching·thinking skills
A new year
August 30th, 2009 · Comments Off · Uncategorized
As the start of a new school year approaches, it looms large. I write lists to clear my brain. Then I have lists, as well as an overloaded brain. Most ominous among my thoughts is “What am I going to teach and how?” In the largest sense. How am I going to organize everything I […]
Tags:chaos·curriculum·curriculum integration·getting started·obstacles·problems·teaching
Training the audience
June 17th, 2009 · 2 Comments · Uncategorized
Audience norms are really different, depending on the event. Golf: total silence for the swing. Ballet: silence with applause following fantastic turns and jumps. Modern: silence, even following fantastic turns and jumps. Baseball: general conversation, cell phones & folks hawking food, but don’t disturb your neighbor during a play, and be ready to cheer wildly […]
Guest voice: Post-performance blues
June 13th, 2009 · Comments Off · Guest Voices
It’s been my hope & intention that this blog might be a means for myself and others to converse with each other from our isolated locations as dance educators. All for the purpose of sharing ideas, anxieties, questions, solutions, hopes, and humor as we hone our skills for the daily diet of dance we serve. […]
Tags:audience·chaos·culture·curriculum integration·obstacles·parents·performance·problems
Performance: Kids & costumes & sound, oh my!
June 7th, 2009 · 6 Comments · Uncategorized
The silence resounding on this blog since the last entry reflects in reverse the noisy mantra that took over my brain and all spare moments of my life the past few weeks, accelerating toward and recovering from performance. Like the shrill chant of “lions & tigers & bears” in The Wizard of Oz, the details […]
Tags:chaos·choreography·curriculum integration·intermediate·logistics·management·obstacles·performance·primary
RIFed! Dance education loses.
April 29th, 2009 · 2 Comments · Uncategorized
I thought we were struggling to gain ground, but no, we’re slipping. Dance in the public schools can ill afford to lose positions, and yet we are. Yesterday a colleague — a fellow member of the DEAW Board and an award-winning teacher– received the shock of a RIF notice (reduction in force) upon arriving at […]
Sunday in Merida
April 18th, 2009 · 3 Comments · Uncategorized
Saturday‘s sort of like every other day in Merida, in the Yucatan in Mexico… there’s dance that happens. But Sunday’s the real thing. By 10:00 am in Santa Lucia Park, people are beginning to gather and claim their seats in the audience, most dressed in their Sunday best. The band sets up and starts to […]