Food For Thought : Knowledge and Teaching

Just a personal reflection....While thinking about how we learn and the different knowledge that has been going around, Ive realized that the story is always told from different point of views, each almost as equally biased. BUT, Facts never lie or never tell stories...so i guess its best to just rely on those :)

One point id like to bring up is that, What does it take to be a good teacher?

Skills? Well yeah skills matter to a certain extent, as you cannot teach what you do not know. So with that in mind, yeah you can be a great teacher and teach 100% but you can only teach so much.. For example, if you know only 1 chapter of math, but you teach it damn well, you are a good teacher but you only know chapter 1....whereas if you knew the whole book, and you dont really teach very well, you are considered a not-very-good instructor.....but is it really fair to see it this way? Im sure you have to balance both out :)

Perspective. One thing i always stress on is perspective. When you teach, while its good to teach in your own opinions, you should always give a third party or neutral/non-biased form of information to your students. NEVER SAY THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO DO IT OR YOU CANNOT DO THIS N THAT. If you have to advise a student against doing something, tell him the real facts, and then tell them that maybe this can be done as a variation or something new etc etc...If everyone said that hiphop can only be downbeat....then u will see great singapore workout instead of hiphop dancers.

That is why, being a teacher is giving your students their direction and freedom of growth. It is nurturing them into their potential, rather than teaching them rules and making them slaves.

If you dont educate your students openly, they will never grow as much as they could or they will be equally as closed minded as yourself, and the scene wont grow.

Lastly, Attitude. The most important aspect of Staying a teacher. lol. Attitude is what makes you survive the lousy days, the bad days, and keeps you going, staying true to why you want to teach. Teaching for fame is a wrong way to go and fame will teach you a lesson one day. Teach because you like to teach, not because you feel that you are good enough to teach or feel that you want to be recognized :)

Yeah nowadays alot of new dancers are getting teaching opportunities and please, remember to ask yourself alot of questions like those above. You may think you are helping the scene but you MIGHT just do the other way around. That is why teaching is a scary burden...bear it before you take the step.

-Marzipan