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Confessions Of
A Teacher-Training Junkie
By Diane Gudat
 After
26 years of seminars, this teacher is hooked--for life
Unpacking
my suitcase inside the first dorm room I had ever seen was a
daunting experience. As I had done frequently since leaving
home, once again I doubted my sanity. I was thousands of miles
from home, completely alone, with high hopes of learning how
to run the dance studio I had so boldly opened a few months
earlier. There was no way of knowing that at age 20, I was
about to see my life change completely—that I was on the verge
of finding not only my life’s path but the people who would
become longtime friends and mentors.
When I held
a set of dance syllabuses in my hands for the first time, I
was stunned. Who knew these fabulous volumes of information
existed—and I had four of them! Equally stunning was the
faculty at this teacher-training program, who possessed a
depth of knowledge that made me toss aside my misgivings and
plunge into the kind of information that would allow me to
become the teacher I wanted to be. These men and women gave me
more than just steps out of books; they taught me why and how
to do them, and more important, how to get my fledgling
students at home to do them. Immediately I knew that I would
return to this fabulous situation the following year and work
hard to be a better teacher.
And I did
return for the next 26 years—and counting! In those teachers I
saw exactly who I wanted to become. I had found my mecca, my
Camelot, my perfect theme park! But the class room was far
from my only source of knowledge at training school. What I
gathered from the lunch and dinner table and from roaming in
and out of other dorm rooms late into the night was sometimes
of more immediate importance. Hundreds of men and women, all
dance teachers, were focused on learning, all of them speaking
my language, all with the same problems I faced daily. Their
laughter, acceptance, and experiences gave me the confidence
to go home and solve my seemingly endless studio problems.
Since that
first experience I have become a training school “junkie,”
attending at least 50 sessions in four or five programs, and
my early experiences led me to become a faculty member at
several of these schools. At these learning opportunities I
never cease to fill the holes in my teaching with questions or
comments from other teachers. I find new ways to say or do
what my students need. I learn about music, anatomy, and sound
business practices. I share recital themes, get new music,
learn how to make my choreography more interesting, and figure
out what someone else would do with that “impossible” parent.
I discover reliable costume companies, the best shoes for my
students, and which dance floor to invest in.
I even find
out what other teachers charge for class and how they hire and
pay their teaching staff. But perhaps best of all, I gather
reassurance that I am on the right path and doing many things
right!
Every
training school is different. Some are larger than others;
some target different age groups; some have multiple levels of
learning, extensive exams, and a variety of graduate programs.
They can be held at hotels, private studios, or on college
campuses. They can last a few days, with a few rotating
subjects, or an entire week, encompassing a full menu of core
and optional classes. All are worth every second of your time
and every penny spent.
My
introductions to acrobatics and modern dance happened at a
teacher-training school. I learned to tango and cha cha, I was
introduced to Fosse, and I learned the major differences
between ballet systems in training-school classes. I’ve been
inspired by older teachers who are still learning and
volunteering their years of practical experience in the
classroom. I have brought dozens of young, aspiring teachers
with me to these seminars and watched as their enthusiasm was
sparked and they found their calling as dance educators.
Perhaps
most important, I have a multitude of friends and colleagues
across the country I can call on when the going gets tough,
people who understand and share my daily frustrations and
victories. I constantly get e-mail from training-school
friends and teachers who have a question, are looking for
music, or just want to say hello.
Training
school is for everyone for every reason. You can’t go wrong
with finding the fuel to survive yet another season at the
studio and recharge your creative batteries. Find one that
works for you and get started! Give yourself and your staff
the gift of ongoing knowledge in an art form that is
constantly changing.
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