Some times, there are certain teaching topics that are best kept amongst peers. To give teachers a private place of their own, we're going to create private boards that only teachers can access. Here's how it's going to work:

a. The old posts on Teachers Only will be moved to "Ask a Teacher" and remain publicly accessible by all.

b. The Ask a Teacher board will appear under the Teachers Only tab (and also remain under the Advice menu). It won't require membership to read or post.

c. We'll add a new board for student and assistant teachers. It won't be private, and will live under the Teachers tab.

d. We'll add a new summary page that will list all the active teachers topics (like with the Studio Owners active topics page).

e. This board will then start off fresh as a private board, meaning that special membership is needed to read, post, and reply. Non-members can still read the topic headings only.

These changes are similar to what we did with the Studio Owner boards (and we learned a few hard lessons doing it once before).

To get membership, you'll need to do two things:

1. Become a premium member (Only $10 one time)
2. Apply to the board. You'll need to provide some minimum information that current members can use to "vote you in." Probably things like your name, where you teach, and your teaching experience.

The current teachers will need to approve your application by voting you in. It will either require a minimum number of "yes" votes (like 10 yes votes) and/or at least 51% of the votes need to vote "yes." Let us know if you have ideas on the voting method.

Since the teachers have a tab all to themselves, we can create other private teachers only boards. Let us know what you'd like to see in the way of new boards or services to help teachers succeed, etc.

We're also considering letting teachers add themselves to the dance.net directory for free for one year. It would be a nice way to promote yourself to the hundreds of thousands of visitors dance.net gets each month.

Questions or feedback welcome.

Linh

I'm not 100% sure about the application thing... it could be seen as a kind of popularity contest. We're all adults here, and can weed out the stupid people Oh wait! You're doing this to make sure students don't get in. Ok... *thinks* the voting method has merit, although past posts on forums such as Ask A Teacher and the written application are probably the only gauges we have to go on. Not entirely fair, but I guess it's the best we can do...

Aside from that, I hereby vote for subforums. One I can think of now is "music" (whether for concerts, class or whatever), maybe also another one for costumes? This forum actually can move pretty fast sometimes...

I don't completly understand the voting thing.
do we all have to be voted in? who will do the voting?
If you have been on here a while do you have to be voted in?
Just a few questions to help clairify.
I really like the idea of this being private!
Now I can post somethings I've been wanting to get out for a while!

Will studio owners have to be voted in as teachers as well? We have already undergone the vertification process to gain access to that board.

I second the idea of having a music board.

Will there be a special board where all the applications are posted for teachers to view and vote in? Just curious, how will you be getting the inital teachers to begin the voting process?

i agree with above post.......I have joined Studio Owners board......do I have to be voted in......or pay again? Seems confusing!
Michelle

I certainly do not want to pay again when I'm paying for the Studio Owners board, and my understanding was if I paid the $50 fee I had unlimited access. Now when I try to post my jobs available at my studio, it says it's an additional $20/month and I would like this clarified because I paid the one-time $50.00 unlimited fee and why would I pay $50 if I could have only paid $10 for the same service? I do not want to pay an additional $20/month for something I've already paid for. Please clarify:)

i LOVE this board and don't want to have to pay for it to get great suggestions that i've gotten. however, i guess that sounds stingy.......but if i have to pay - i'll just have to drop off of the teachers only board and keep the 3 "friends" i've made on it.

I don't really know how I feel about having to pay to be a part of the board, although I understand I just think its so great that we can all get suggestions from eachother and talk as teachers. How will we pay and sign up???? I am fairly new to this site so I would need all the details.

I don't understand the whole voting thing. If we can prove we are a teacher and pay the $10, why do we have to be voted in?

Im not going to be able to see this board when it's private but i have a suggestion: if you decide to do the voting process I think there should be one person (a mod) who gets pm'd all the votes so that people arent influenced by each other and the person who's applying doesnt have to know who wanted them in.

Also, is there a way to stop active topics on the private boards from being shown on the hot! board? There have been a lot of times where I think something sounds interesting and then Ive clicked on it and been told that I wasnt allowed, it's not really a big issue and i think it would be hard to fix though...

I understand the desire to have a place where studio owners and teachers can discuss issues in relative privacy. My teacher and I discuss her dance school issues in private nearly every day. There are lots of things of which our students and parents don't need to be aware. But sometimes when I see the subject lines of some of the posts in these areas I get a little sad because I likely have an answer for them, but am not allowed to read the message or respond to the post.

There are lots of adults on this website who have experience operating service businesses, dealing with stage moms, building dance floors, buying flooring, buying costumes, etc. but we do not meet the requirements to join these forums. I'm not complaining about it, just stating the facts.
So, if you don't get your questions answered on the Owners and/or Teachers forums, I would encourage you to post your questions in forums where others can provide the information you need. That is the great thing about DDN, so many people are happy to help you!

I think it's a pity the board will soon be only for those who pay. I teach gymnastics and rhythmic gymnastics as a volunteer hobby (they pay only bus money) and would be really sorry to lose access to the teachers board. Yes, you have a student and assistant teachers board, but I like to hear what *experienced* teachers are talking about.

I think a lot of the more interesting and informative conversations about teaching happen on the Teachers board. Ask a Teacher is not so active.

The thing is, there's nothing stopping you from posting on the Ask A Teacher forum

I was also wondering if the restricted board topics could somehow be removed from the Hot page. I scroll through and some of the topics look very interesting, especially music related ones, and topics that people other than the board they're on may help answer but we can't. I guess it's just frustrating to click on something that looks interesting (I know, I should look at the forum it's in) and not be able to see it.

I think it's sad that the board is going to change. I come here once in a while to lend support,give advice, but mostly give helpful answers, like my last post, someone wanted to know tunes for a traveling theme recital, I told her the following:

Up, up and away in my beautiful balloon (from the early 70's)
Big red car (for the kiddies, by the wiggles)
Leaving on a jet plane
Jerry was a race car driver (I think Primus does that one)
Ticket to Ride (Beatles)
Take the Last train to Clarksville (Monkeys)

I won't pay to come to this board if you charge, and I think it's lame to even have make it a closed board. I don't see a problem with people inappropriately posting now, so why change it? No one pays to post on the Voy boards. This community has been very nice here on dance.net. Please keep it the way it is and don't shove people away, like you did with the owners board. It makes it very elitist and not friendly.

I think the dance world in general can be very elitist and greedy with their knowledge, especially when you are in the same area as another studio. Not the people, just the atmosphere, the competitive nature of getting business does this. This is one of the few places that the greediness doesn't exist, and people give great advice to everyone. I would hate to see that change, and even though I could pay the fee, it seems strange.

I for one, would never have joined this board if it was a "membership" type board, I wouldn't have given it a second look. I think by turning the teacher's forum into that will discourage new teachers from joining us, thereby taking all those great ideas they may have to offer away from us.
I don't like the idea, and this is just one of the many reasons.
Deahni

I had this same problem with the Owners board. My computer doesn't let me pay for stuff online so I asked if I could send a check in the mail and got no reply. Is there a way sign up not over the internet? I would really appreciate it is someone would reply.

Thank you!

I understand the need to keep our business as teachers private, however I do not like the idea that we have to be voted in. Proof of teaching from our place of employement and the fee should be more than enough. I have been a free member to this site for over 2 years now and I love how helpful and educational this board is and I too would hate for that to change. How exactly would someone get voted in, what would be the guidelines?

couldn't you make the teachers only board private by making each person have a password for the teachers only board? perhaps we could provide proof of being a teacher and then you could give us a password for the teachers only board. i agree w/the person taht said that the dance world is very elitist and this is the only place that people are really friendly with each other. PLEASE don't make it a membership only board.

I won't pay to be on a discussion board. I think it would be a shame if it becomes a members only forum!

I totally agree. This has been a very helpful website -- but I wouldn't pay for it, and if I didn't know what it was like ahead of time, I certainly wouldn't pay for it. I think you will drive away newbies like me if you require payment for membership.

There *are* sometimes things that I'm not comfortable bringing up on a public forum -- so I change the scenario, students' names, etc. There are ways around breaches of confidentiality that don't involve a private board. So... if you go private, most likely I will choose not to join you... two little ones and a new house payment means that I have more than enough other things on which to spend $10. Stingy, I know, but I have yet to meet a rich dance instructor.

Can you please explain more of why this decision is being made?

I agree. The thing that really attracted me to this site in the first place was that there were so many different people to share with. By making this membership only, we will lose out on that. I love that I can ask a question and get so many different perspectives and opinions on my topic. I will definately not continue using this site should it go private. What a shame that we might lose such a great connection. I love the advice I get and the help I could bring to someone else!

Reading/scanning through everyone's posts, I have to say that I initially agree with 'dee_on_knee'. When I first came to dance.net I would not have paid... I would have looked twice either (mainly because I wasn't experienced in forums) but now that I have been here for the better part of a year. (and just recently paid my $10. membership) I would DEFINTELY pay to access the teachers only board. It has helped me in so many ways. I'm a better teacher and I feel I have a support group I can turn to and discuss my feelings, frustrations and achievements. People that will appreciate and acknowledge what I share. It's a wonderful place to share. I also know that if I'm out of line that I will 'called on it' and I respect those who do.

But as a teacher I would like to only have teachers replying to my or others posts. There have been times when I am reading replies and it's obvious that it isn't a teacher and it wastes my time.

And also there are topics that I have been afraid to say certain things because I'm not sure if I'm going to 'run into' someone that shouldn't read what I write.

On the studio owners pages I've gotten frustrated because I would love to be able to post or read replies but you know what....I'm NOT a studio owner and truly have no place there. I'm a manager as well as teacher and I've wondered if there is a board geared toward us meager people that run a studio literally from top to bottom and deal with students parents (mainly mothers), money, events, new students etc.

Now that is something on my wish list. Figured I'd throw in my 2 cents.

Since we all need a place where we can go, and not worry about our parents from our studios reading, or our students, (since we might be discussing something with them), I think it is a good idea. I understand that there is time, and time is money, involved in the administrative part of creating this, and I do not mind paying a one time $10 fee for this.

I agree with a previous post where I have wanted to write issues, but, I am worried about "running into" someone who should not read it. I refer my parents and students to this site, but, what can I say, "STAY AWAY from the teacher's only board!" They are all human, and probably curious, so, they might want to see what I am writing about them, good are bad. Some things are better left between us teachers, especially with the massive amount of issues that I deal with, and never once let on that I am about to fall apart to my parents! I want them to always think I am strong, and on top of things, even when I am at my breaking points.

My two cents...
Ms. Shana

If you want money I don't get it ! If it's privacy -e-mail your reply Everything always comes down to money- it's a discussion board - what could we need to hide- if it's that secret don't write it