Task 2d (Sixth and Final instalment)

Task 2d seemed huge to me and once I started writing I did not stop.  As a result I have made the decision to post the answers to the questions posed in the task in instalments in the hope they will be more manageable to all.  In each post I will specify the question(s) tackled.

• What gets you angry or makes you sad?
• Who do you admire who shares your feelings or has found a way to work around the sadness or anger.

As a teacher in the UK I felt that children were not achieving as well as the same age group might have ten years ago. Potentially this could be down to the cotton wool culture of the training coupled with society becoming less active/more lazy collectively.

Despite coverage in the news regarding the perception of examinations becoming easier I believe the opposite is happening within dance and standards are increasing at speed. Many UK children are unable to keep up with this and it is leaving us, as a nation, behind. Within schools children are taught to question why, and with “because I said so” no longer an acceptable answer much of any class is taken up with discussion. This has its merit; however these are not necessarily visible within the confines of a 45 minute dance lesson.

There is also the 'X-Factor culture' to consider. In an article in The Guardian in 2011 Iain Duncan Smith said “A 'get rich quick' celebrity culture exemplified by The X Factor and the dysfunctional lives of footballers has created a society 'out of balance'" Whilst I have always maintained I do not consider people to be influenced by the media as much as the hype would allow us to believe, I do believe shows like the X Factor hinder ambition, or rather the commitment, work ethic and drive required not just to achieve and succeed but to excel.

I believe a combination of the above, amongst other factors, to be disabling our young talent and it is heartbreaking. It makes me sad when children are underachieving, but even more so when they have no idea of their potential. As teachers we work so hard for our students giving up our own time to help them; planning and researching, looking for new avenues for them to blossom in that when they don't show commitment or understanding of the team work involved, it leaves us disappointed.

The industry of performing arts is a notoriously difficult one for a variety of reasons and there are often times you watch incredible talented people fail, or incompetent people succeed. An example of this is unqualified teachers starting classes and schools, ruining established businesses, putting children at risk and belittling the industry. A colleagues I met on a course has started a campaign against this, details can be seen here.

The principal of my current school and the principal of my old vocational college both have a great work ethic. They both choose to run their businesses in very different ways, and are both great teachers but with very different styles. They have had very similar experiences to me at various times and from both sides of a situation. It is interesting to always have other opinions or ideas on how I might approach something available to me and I regularly speak with them both when I am unsure how to move forward.

Regarding the above, I have previously spoken my childhood Ballet teacher, and she is in agreement that the work ethic and standards of British children has slipped. The continued presence of the Asian work ethic is something I am really enjoying at the moment, and is something my current boss has definitely tapped into.