Oh wow! So nice to see all of us don't have the perfect situations!!!!

Let's see, first I would like to have stereo equipment that works 100% of the time not just 50%. My SO will not spend the additional money to get a commerical grade CD player so every 6 months the CD player stops working and I have to bring in a boom box, which doesn't help when you're teaching a ballet class and next door is a tap class.

Which brings me to my 2nd gripe, our tap teacher believes that when the girls are tapping she must turn her music up so that it vibrates the whole building. And here I am right next door and attempting to teach a ballet class and the girls cannot even begin to hear the music!!!! And no the rooms are not soundproof, that would definetly help.

3rd next door is a dog grooming place and all day and night all you hear is barking, barking, barking. I've even attempting choreographing to it!

4th Yes your child needs to be in class each week unless they are sick. I get so tired of the children that only attend twice a month or less. I mean the class only meets once a week! This really gets hard the closer we get to recital because these children do not know their dances and the parents want to complain to you about that. What you really want to say is "If your child attended class every week, we wouldn't have this problem." But you put on your professional face and attempt to handle it as deplomatically as you can so you don't loose a student.

5th class begins on time, not 5 minutes late, I have one student that regularly arrives 5 -10 minutes late for every class. I understand that she isn't of driving age and relies on her mom to get her to class, but she is old enough to say "Hey mom, we need to leave so I'm not late." I thought of locking the door, but my SO wouldn't approve, but I think it would get the point accross.

6th, children who do not wish to be in a dance class. What are we a babysitting service? This is how I feel somedays.

7th, teens that only do what is required, but really want to move up to the next level. They only put about 75% if that into class and do not practice at home, and get upset when their friends move up to a higher level the next year. And when you attempt to explain to them that you need to see that they really want to move up by attending class and really trying hard they complain that school makes them tired and their involved in this and that. That's why they can't practice. I tell them then find a way and we'll see again next year.

Parents - need a say anymore here. We're all teachers and we all have to deal with them, but you understand the ones that I'm talking about here. Especially the ones that used to dance themselves!!!!!!

Small studios, now I understand that we all have to begin somewhere when starting a dance business, but when the rooms are too small that you cannot do a grand allegro combination with your teen classses, that too small.

Oh and recently aquired teachers that come in with the attitude of their better than every other teacher at the studio. Constently complaining that they should be teaching this class or that class. Hold it, wait your turn. Prove that you are able to teach the classes that you have first, then ask could you have older groups to teach. Work with the existing teachers, not against.

Whooooo... I feel better. Thanks.

oooh I have 1....ok to girls who have been members previously...I'm still in charge...just because I'm new to the staff and you think you're sooooo smart doesnt mean you don't have to listen to me give you information...you aren't that great but oh well I'm not the one who has to look like crap at your first performance because I didn't listen to the information given to me....OH and if I tell you to listen to a upperclassmen THEN DO IT!! DO you realize I can tell the director to cut you out of the show because you aren't doing anything right? Its called respect people!

oooh thats nice lol

Ok, I have 1. I am sure you all know the Dance Galaxy cotume problem. So, I sit my classes down and tell the girls & parents that I was going to have to get them replacement costumes because Dance Galaxy ripped us off. I had replacement costumes in 48 hours. I get a phone call 30 minutes after dance from a Mom who can't seem to ever get out of her car and walk 5 steps in the studio to complain that she didn't get the right costume. Did I forget to mention that the girl is 14 years old ans she should have been able to talk to her mom and explain what happened or maybe if she didn't slide out of the studio when my back was turned she would have gotten the newsletter that I sent home! You know we have a thankless job for all that we have to put up with! But I still ove my job.

I got one for you! At dress rehearsal a student runs up to me and says "I dont have my black half soles because I lost them 2 weeks ago" I say "why are you telling me this now?" HER MOM...from the back of the auditorium yells "I did" and I say "you said and i quote i FORGOT THEM AT HOME" the mom says "No I told you, and obviously you did nothing about it" IM SUPPOSED TO ORDER YOUR KID NEW SHOES THAT I DONT EVEN KNOW ARE GONE, NOT FORGOTTEN, GONE. This is also the parent that cries poverty EVERY month and then tells me 2 weeks later the awsome cell phone she just bought her 8 yr old, or the sweet vacation they are going on thats why her kid will be gone for a week.

Don't you love that? I have a mother who is constantly saying how dance is costing so much money and it's so rough on them, yet almost every weekend in the winter the whole family goes on a ski trip! What????

Hi! I have a dance studio where I teach clogging and also offer hip hop, jazz and ballet. Well I am in the same town of another dance studio. I really don't care what the other studio and what the owner thinks or says about mine. I know what I love to do and what I have a passion for and she is not going to stop me. She has told others that there isn't enough room in the town for both of us. She is also the drill team director for the high school. Talk about poopy! There are rumors going around saying if you dance at my place then you won't be on the drill team. And in reality her dancers aren't even taught well and the teachers she has(which are her high school students) don't teach and just sit around and talk! What the heck!! I actually had a girl from the drill team quit the other dance studio to come to me and was still on drill team. The director gave her so much crap that she and her mom decided it might be best if she goes back to the other studio! Now the girl is heartbroken because she wants to learn from me so bad. To top it all off pretty much everyone in town is afraid of her and they act like she is on this pedestal, and so they won't tell her how they really feel. Is this normal??? Or is this a small town Texas thing??? Should I go to the board about this? I don't know! but the witch ain't stop me from doing what I love to do!

Miss Amanda
((meow))

I understand your frustration.

This happens all the time. Our time is just as vaulable as anyone else's.

Keep the faith.

New vent...

Hey, guess what parents!!! Your attitude can ruin things for your child. If you are a pain in the butt to me and every other teacher, director or choreographer no one will want to work with your daughter because they won't want to deal with you!!! Get a freakin clue! I honestly don't know what some of these people are thinking.

LOVE IT!!! can I print this out and make copies to give to the next parent that pisses me off?
lol.
YOU'VE SAID IT ALL! WELL PUT.

I have to vent about gossip in general. While dance instruction can be cutthroat at times, I really do not like hearing other teachers bashed, even if names aren't named. I have heard things all the way from simply calling a teacher mean or incompetent, to accusing judges of rigging competitions, to telling horrific stories of widespread corruption and abuse... that in most cases I can tell are false.

And if I tell the truth as I see it, my experience as someone who knows how competitions are planned and may even know some of the accused teachers and judges as decent, fair, and professional people, not to mention what's discussed when teachers and judges hang out (and no, it's not currying favor for our students), is dismissed. But then, I get my knowledge on the subject from direct observation and experience, rather than hearsay and speculation, so what possibly could I know about anything?

(Yes, I'm being sarcastic. Bronchitis on top of other irritations tends to do that to me.)

Also, it makes me wonder what's being said about me behind my back.

SO I am sitting at home right now with a poopy expression on my face, wanted to get what I am feeling off my chest....and then I remembered the VENT THREAD!!! HOORAY!!

I have said this a million times, I am a small studio in a small town. We just don't have the resources to offer everything everyone wants. One scenario is this, I have to blend my advanced teens and advanced adults class because, alone, they each have 4 or 5, but together it is a nice cohesive class...so I thought. I have an adult who also is a teacher at the middle school, and she is hell bent that we spend this year on broadway tap. Mostly because she is older and this is the style she grew up with. I am a rhythm tap teacher. yes, I have done broadway tap, but I don't love and I don't think that I can give a very good advanced class in that style. So I decided as a compromise, I would have excercises that worked rhythm tap style, an excercise in Broadway, military, swing...kind of working with all the different timings you can do with tap. She loved the work with the broadway style, we had a whole time step combo. But when we learn a rhythm section at the end of class, she just pouted and leaned against the barre, and all the others in the class were fine and working hard...including all the other adults. She can sit and pout, I am not changing..HMPH!!!

Second thing that upset me today...I got an email from a mom that was upset that we had our first classes of the year before Labor Day Weekend because her daughter missed the Friday class. That just really annoyed me. The long weekend is because Monday is off, not Friday....get over it lady.

AHHHH....I love the vent thread, my husband appreciated it too.

I wished I had thought to come here last night.

I had a senior dancer teaching a student in secret for a year and the "student" just signed up for my class last night. The senior dancer training her - just left for uni.

Do they not teach some kind of ethics anywhere anymore?

I might add I am the only teacher of my method in town and my senior dancer has no qualifications to teach. To her benefit, she did teach the "student" very well, but as you know, not entirely correctly.

Sad thing is, I can't even confront her! I wouldn't yell, but just explain the inappropriateness in case she pulls this in her new town where there is another teacher.

Urg...

So I work for a mobile company. I go to preschools and teach. I was told I would have 17 classes a week at $25/class. I'm now slated to teach 11 classes a week and one class is getting the axe at the end of September because there are only 2 girls in the class. I'm afraid another class will suffer the same fate, too. This week I only taught 5 classes because of Labor Day.

It's not really my boss's fault. She can only market so much. The schools that have the great enrollment aren't mine. I got stuck with all the ones that have had pathetic enrollment. I was depending on teaching a lot more classes and I even took another job to try and take up the slack. I've now applied for a third job in light of the potential to drop down as low as 9 classes a week for her.

Arg. I'm upset that my class load will essentially be cut in half and this other teacher gets to keep all her classes because she got the schools with better enrollment. I dunno what's going to happen. I hope I get to keep at least one of the two classes with low enrollment. One is very close to my house, so it's not an issue of gas for me to drive there. The other one, however, is a good trip away and I'd be just as happy to not teach there.

Wow...that ended up being a lot longer than I thought it would.

Wow! Now, I am pissed- you all left nothing for me to vent about! You covered them all!! Ha Ha Ha!

Just one more thing, "Are we the only intelligent people left? I mean we can tell time, be prepared, speak politely, know when the bills are due, etc... WHY CAN'T ANYONE ELSE?"

Okay....my first vent of the year....

I had a meeting with the parents the first week of class for my younger students. I explained to them how that every week the kids will be given stickers for good behavior, participation,...etc. The first week I handed out a sheet of construction paper for the kids to keep their stickers on, and asked the parents to make sure they hold on to their stickers and bring their paper back every week to class.


What do you know...the second week of class and a bunch of students didn't bring back their papers! I actually had a mom say that the paper was kind of hard to keep track of and that it was really flimsy. WHAT??? Did she ever hear of a folder? How about keeping it in the dance bag and not taking it out in the first place? Now I am going to keep the papers myself and bring them back every week. Obviously parents just can't handle this little task!

This is a great thread! I've just spent over an hour reading from page 1 - 26 and I feel so much better now!!

My vent is when student's misbehave for a substitute teacher (who is very qualified and a good teacher). This wasn't the beginners class either, this was the premier class!!

DId they NOT think it would get back to me? They would never dare to behave like that for me!!!!

And then, when I had them next, and made them dance their a$$es off for 90mins, only one girl had the manners to come up and apologise to me about her behaviour the week before!!

Grrrrr

Well since we've all just had open houses and registrations (and disappointing ones at that) how about this one:

I hate when someone calls for information, asks me 832 questions and then makes me repeat another 23 of them, makes me listen to how little Suzi is just a wonder. "Why I know she's only 3, but I swear I have never seen a child with such rhythm!" and on and on it goes. I get a detailed description of how this 3 year old turns on music videos and just shakes her little buns.

45 minutes later "Well, I was just really calling for information, I'll let you know."

I HATE THIS! I wish there was a way to politely begin the conversation with, "Ok, before I give you all of this information, are you really going to sign up?"

I've had parents call for a repeat conversation, only to be told that there is a studio 20 minutes down the interstate that is $3 cheaper per month, and they may just go there.

OMG! People just frost my toes!

And this one is a big vent; I believe that there are many qualifications a dance teacher should have. But, do not make them up if you do not have them! I have seen some competitors web sites, and know for a fact (I've been around forever and have had class with some of these others when I was just starting out) that they have not danced for 20 years! Yet, there it is on their bio. You know, quitting your dance education when you are 12 and just dancing around the house for the next 10 years does not count!

Oops, I know this last comment does not sound very nice. But, on my word, I know some of this for a true fact. I am not a "dance snob" I just believe you should not pad your resume. Or at the very least, there should be more truth on your bio than fiction!

YES! Just what I need at 12am when I'm still up dealing with this crud!

1. I have a dresscode, I know it's not like your other studio's, I know they do everything better then I do, so why don't you go back?

2. I offer dancewear at about $10-$15 horray for target selling the tutu crap for $10 bucks but my prices are cheap and this way your child is paying attention and LEARNING not whinning about her stupid itchy tutu she just HAD to have! I'm sorry that a traditional leotard does not flatter your 5 year old's figure.

3. When my students are unruley I don't yell, I don't get mad, I warn twice and then we do some sit ups. Why is it that 10 sit ups are so horrible in a dnace setting yet when they screw up in sports and have to run 3 laps it's ok. Oh I'm sorry I forgot dance isn't a school function or a sport.

4. If you want to leave DO NOT let my door hit you on the way out, but my prices are fair, my dresscode is not up for negotiation, and above all I am not here to make sure your child makes it to Broadway.

5. Guess what my husband is a teacher...men dance too go figure. If you don't like that he covered for me ONCE....TOO BAD. If you think that I should kick out my male students because men don't dance TOO BAD.

6. Don't be rude to me just because I have to be nice to you.

Arg I disdain stupid people....I JUST opened my first studio. I've been teaching for ten years but have NEVER had this much headache....does it ever get any better??

OUR prices for a one hour class are normal. They are within two dollars of every other recreational and competition school in the greater metro area. So why oh why did I have to get a school ten minutes away that has one hour classes for 20 dollars less a month. Either they're paying their teachers nothing (perhaps one of those places where teenagers trade teaching young students for classes of their own?) or their cramming 20 5 year olds into a class. wth. grrrr . I can't afford to drop prices that much, my teachers actually deserve to paid! If I were to drop to that price point I'd need 10 in a class just to break even for that class....and that doesn't include money that would go toward the school, recital, and *gasp* a profit.

And people asking me if I can match that price? ummm, no. If you want a class that is more than a babysitting service, then, no. People who know what they're doing cost money, we're not running a charity here people. I'd love it if I could, but I'm not. Just don't come complaining in five years when you realize that the school you choose sucks and that your 12 year old needs to be in a ballet class with my 8 year olds because they're so behind.

Gah!

Costume prices are stated in the welcome packet!!!!! You know about them and how much they are before your child even starts dance!!!! Do you think that I am just pretending? Do you think I am really not going to charge you for them!!! Come on people, read your stuff, and don't act shocked when you recieve your bill!!! AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!

Parents that ignore due dates...drives me crazy. I can just about predict who will turn info sheets on time and who thinks that I can magically read their minds or just don't care.

We're trying to do a perfomance cruise next summer. We've had our informational meeting and handed everything out. We gave a due date of 10/5 for the yes or no as to whether they will participate. The downpayment will be due soon and to top it off if they are sending their dancing without going themselves we have to find a cabin they can share with someone else.

Out of the 30 plus families that were at the meeting or received the info from me because they couldn't make it we've only heard from 8 in writing a few more called and left messages saying yes or no. How hard is it to let someone know your plans, especially when we have to put this whole thing together. Going into a room by myself to to scream.....eeee kkkkk!