Recently, it has come to my attention that I have a few students who could be a lot better in dance than they are. I say this because if they weren't so lazy (for lack of a better term), and actually put their heart and soul into the art, they would come out the shinning beacon. Instead, I see them attempting to cheat out warm ups, constant excuses, and constantly complaining about why they can't do something.
It's like if they don't get something right away, it becomes something they will never achieve, and they stop trying all together. What's even worse about this scenario as that they perfectly accept that answer, and do everything in their power to avoid it.
Maybe its the generation gap in me talking, but I thought that the point of giving the students something harder was to continually challenge them to be better. To give them an opportunity to constantly improve; not just in dance, but in life as well.
So I watched this TED talk thing recently, about what society has done with the grading system, and how it has affected the childhood psyche in some ways. It's about looking into saying Not Yet, instead of can't, and looking into what the power of believing you can improve will do. I think it will help us take a more positive outlook, and start accepting the challenges of dance and life.
Take a look and tell me what you think. It's kind of enlightening in a couple of ways. A little boring but, as a teacher, I can appreciate where this talk is going.
https://www.ted.com/talks/carol_dweck_the_power_of_believing_that_you_can_improve
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