I have always been a teacher. Even as a child and teenager I knew I would teach in some respect as I taught dancing lessons to little children or coached swimming lessons at the local pool. I have been a school teacher since 1998, most f those years teaching Dance from K-12. My background includes teaching Dance, Drama, Physical and Health Education, Careers, GLS and Language Arts. I also have taught every grade from K-12 and have a good understanding of each age group.
I believe in giving my students the tools and vocabulary to understand and communicate through dance. This I will do through instructional lessons designed to meet expectations of the topic being studied. This can include delivering dance knowledge through technique, improvisational methods, and exploratory tasks. I also firmly believe in allowing them to use these tools/vocabulary, as well as their own ideas, to creatively explore the art of dance and performing skills. This will usually come as the culminating task for the unit and eventually will become a class performance.
Since many, if not all, of my students have never had the chance to learn about dance as an art form, I experience many 'shining teaching moments' on a daily basis. It could be as simple as seeing increased flexibility, improved skill in the execution of a step, or the excitement in their eyes as they pull off a superb performance in front of their peers.
Bachelor of Education - OISE / University of Toronto Bachelor of Arts (Dance) - University of Waterloo Dance Specialist Pilates - Mat - Certified Teacher 200 Yoga Teacher Training (in progress) Children's Yoga Teacher Training (in progress) Barre Certification (in progress) Dance Training since 1975 (age 3!) inludes: - ballet, jazz, modern, rhythmic, cultural, social, latin ballroom I am also a Personal Trainer and have a great understanding of the human body in terms of anatomy and training.
I was formerly the Chair of our Dance Teachers Association which is a collective a teachers in the school board who teach dance or have an interest in dance in education. We meet on a regular basis to see how we can support dance at the elementary and secondary level in our board and to produce a Showcase of Dance each year with a variety of schools participating. I also work with teachers to develop their knowledge of dance in the K-12 Ontario Curriculum.
6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, Higher Education, Homeschool, Staff
Specialty, Arts & Music, Other (Art), Music, Physical Education, Dance