I have been teaching creative movement and combo classes for YEARS but it still breaks my heart when I make a kid cry. It doesn't happen often, but it did today. I give my combo kids two stickers after class...one for being good and doing good during ballet, and one for tap. I have this little one who I love dearly but she has a very short attention span and I think she might even be a little bit ADHD. Needless to say I made her cry today because I told her she lost her sticker for that portion of the class. At the end we hugged and she felt a lot better-plus she still got one sticker.

I just hate making my students cry. I have a pretty good system in my classes, but there's always a few who struggle to abide by it. So my question is, how do you handle your classes to keep them attentive and eager to learn. and what do you do if you make a student cry?

When I was teaching little ones, I always tried to keep moving, and not spend too much time on one thing. If they weren't all getting a step that week, I would move on after a few minutes and come back to it next week (or in the next section of class...you can do pivot turns in jazz or tap, for example) I also tried to use a variety of music, and if they developed favorite songs, I would use them toward the end of class (so when their attention was waning, they would get excited about the song!)

strictlydancer88 wrote:

So my question is, how do you handle your classes to keep them attentive and eager to learn.

Little people have developing attention spans. I'd love to tell you I've perfected it after all these years, but they are little, so it's never a perfect science.

I keep them as engaged as possible.

strictlydancer88 wrote:

and what do you do if you make a student cry?

I don't feel terrible when a child cries. I'm a harda$$.

If they cry b/c I have withheld their sticker, I say "I'd love to give you one next week, so I need for you to follow directions and be a good listener."

Even if they DON'T cry, if I have withheld their sticker, I will go outside after class with them and quickly tell their Mom, "Sally didn't get her sticker today. She was having some issues following instructions. I'm sure it will be better next week."

do you use any props? Scarves, ribbons, or maracas maybe? That could be something fun for the end of class when attention would be elsewhere.. musical interpretation, rythem etc and lots of fun!

This age group is pretty much all I teach so I have learned some valuable lessons. Make sure you are not switching cd's, waiting for music etc...I plan my classes ahead for the month and burn a cd that follows my curriculum that way everything keeps moving. Down time is when they get into trouble! I also have found the 3 strikes rule to be effective-so they get warnings before taking their stickers away. I also believe in the punishment fitting the crime so if they are talking during an exercise I make them do extras i.e. if they talk during tendu's they do 8 extra tendu's off to the side, or they have to sit out until the end of that exercise. Good luck!