“Learning is risky business.” –Abby Fiat
The most powerful thing I can do, as a teacher, is to melt away some fear within my students. The failure that is so often experienced in academic environments creates such resistance to learning in fear of experiencing painful disappointment. The most frightening part about learning is fully admitting, “I don’t understand.” For many, this moment of vulnerability is regarded as a failure. I believe by changing the definition of failure, my students can find the confidence in themselves requisite to take on any learning challenge.
In order to change the perceived definition of failure, I must first introduce my students to what I call a success. Effort is the name of the game and inquiry the strategy by which we play. The utilization of these tools is all that I ask out of my students at any moment, effort to maintain forward motion and inquiry to ensure clarity in our path. The moments of greatest effort are those in which a challenge is presented, one that really tests my fortitude and commitment to forward motion. It is in these moments that I often turn to a peer, mentor, or teacher to seek out an effective path to find a solution. When I am in the position of receiving these inquiries, it is a real pleasure and blessing! For in these moments I have the opportunity to re-investigate the challenge, or if I am really lucky investigate it for the first time alongside my student. The true teaching moments come when I am presented with questions from my students, for here I am able to see where their inquiries and abilities are and where they might go. Misunderstanding, frustration, and feelings of defeat are not failures in my class, they are opportunities to re-enter a challenging situation with perseverance. Because it is so important for me to ensure that my students do not feel like they are failing, I strive to encourage questions, analysis, and the acknowledgement of doubt. The more that we neglect our doubt, the greater of a demon it becomes, so in an effort to confront our doubt we will face it head on with bright spotlights. Doubt is a product of fear and darkness, and so we will bathe it in the light of learning and defeat our fear of failing!
I try to approach life with a playful spirit, a child-like curiosity to keep me interested. I do not ask myself to have all the answers, for I know I never will. This excites me, the fact that as long as I live there will be lessons to learn and knowledge to accumulate. I know many who become depressive over the fact that they will never understand the universe, but I chose to rejoice in the infinite amount of learning opportunities that surround me. I am continuing to become more comfortable with the vulnerable state of not knowing, which enables me to learn a great deal. There is a kind of innocence in this mentality, for so often the unforgiving nature of the world is also something we learn as we grow up. Tragedy can create physical, emotional, and spiritual congestion that can very easily limit our learning potential. Restoring the wide-eyed curiosity inherent in children is requisite for a lifetime of learning. There may not be a finite way to teach people how to remember this blissful curiosity, but it can be inspired within them by example. In teaching individuals who are steeped with fear and doubt I find myself enlarging this child-like part of my personality to inspire it within them. I find that embodying my child-like whims brings great joy to my students. Inspiring this kind of childish playfulness discourages self-doubt, and encourages the kind of inquiry that makes learning fun.
I have taught contemporary, improvisation, creative movement, acrobatics, and Jazz throughout the U.S. and Panama to all ages and abilities. I currently teach Jazz at North West Dance Project, am developing a professional level contemporary technique class with Bone Velvet, and setting up a contact improvisation class structured around states of holding.