Y’all we are in a crazy new world. So I felt like that the best thing to do right now is have a quick chat about some things. Specifically being a college student and being a dance teacher. 

 

We have been forced online for work, for school, really for most things in life at this point. And I’ve got to say that, along with many, I HATE this. Not just from the angle of being out of work for the most part, but also from the view of being a full time college student, and a senior at that.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

Zoom calls. Groupmes. Email on Email. Facetime. Facebook live. 

 

I’ve never spent so much time on my computer in the three years I’ve been in college, not even when I was willingly taking online classes. This is hard. This is tiring too, trying to keep up with the assignments, and zoom calls. Trying to give every class the 4+ hours of work they want. Being a dance major certainly makes this far more interesting. We are doing our best to maintain some kind of normalcy in these uncertain times. Recording ourselves taking classes, writing papers for studio based classes (I have never written so many papers on tap before). 

 

So many of us as seniors have lost some of the things we’ve spent years thinking about. Our senior projects and seeing our own choreography on our KSU stage, final NCA/NDA championship on the bandshell, final sports championship games, and for many we won’t get to see off our campus for the last final we take as a student of the school. These are hard emotional times for many, and the community as a whole has truly come together in a way that I personally have not seen before. I have the view of both sides of this situation when it comes to teachers and coaches. 

 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Trying to be a dance major right now is hectic, and equally as hectic is trying to be a dance teacher. 

 

Teaching in this new-found world is very challenging. Especially when you teach in smaller run studios like I do. We have spent weeks trying to figure out the best ways to deliver classes to all of our students. We started with using an app called Band. We recorded videos of ourselves teaching our classes, and hoped that they were using them. Now we’ve progressed into using Zoom for our classes to teach our students.

 

One of the hardest things, for me, about being a teacher at this time is not being able to see my students. Not being able to be in the studio with them helping them with corrections, teaching them recitals dances, and hearing about their days at school. Being a dance teacher in this time is hard and disappointing. But no matter what I know that I have a duty to my students to prepare them for next season and to prepare them for life as I would when they are in the studio.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

I've talked a good bit of negative into this post, BUT there are always some positives to be found here. One positive I have found is that I have found myself exploring more creative outlets - I have some pretty cool things in the works and in my mind thanks to my ample time now - outside of dance, something I have always said I "didn't have the time for" prior to know (I've got all the time now, ya now?). I have also found myself being able to really nurture the relationships that matter most to me. Lastly I have been able to really explore more options for my life after college. Under the constant stream of college and work it can get easy being caught in what you think you "should" do post graduation. But now I have found myself really looking into other things, things I would have NEVER thought I'd find myself looking at, and its wild and kind of scary but I am EXCITED!

​

To leave al with something small to think about my adopted saying for 2020 and for honestly post isolation:

ALL you need is 20 seconds of absolute INSANE courage.

​