Student teaching helps young dancers start on the right foot

If you are a dancer looking for a way to help others, student teaching is probably one of the best options. During the fall when most kids are coming back to dance, you can sign up for student teaching. As a student teacher, you get the opportunity to help other dancers who are younger and learning things you already know. This is a fun activity, especially if you already love to dance.

For the past three years my personal experiences as a student teacher have been great, not only because I was helping others but for my own enjoyment as well. When I was younger, I had student teachers who guided me through dance, and now having the opportunity to do that myself is amazing.

As a student teacher, there are many responsibilities. One of them is calming a student who gets upset. Sometimes kids get scared or hurt during class and sometimes they just want their mom. A very simple solution is to give a friendly smile and tell them, “Everything will be OK.”

Another responsibility is to help when teaching a new step. I do this by standing right in front of them and exaggerating my movement to give a visual representation of how to do the step.

One of the biggest ways to help is at the recital. Recitals can be very overwhelming, especially when it is a student’s first time on stage. The bright lights, the unfamiliar costumes and the chaos of the dark backstage with several other dancers are all things that could make a young child uneasy. I feel good when I am able to help them have a successful recital.

Lara McNally’s Girl Scout Troop 730, Centereach