Having a job while also being a full-time college student isn’t always easy, but having a job that you love makes it worth it. I don’t work as a server or in retail…. I am a dance teacher. If you would have asked me 3 years ago if I wanted to be a teacher of any kind, I would have immediately said no. I never had any intention of teaching kids, let alone being a teacher in college. When I was asked to teach for my home dance studio, I thought “Well, why not?”. I liked to choreograph pieces for myself and figured that I should just do it. I also knew that it was another way for me to stay connected to dance while not actually dancing anymore. I was actually nervous going into my first class because I had never really been in a teaching position before. Weeks went by and I came to love it and was wanting to do more than what I was doing.
As the years have gone on, I have gotten so many more opportunities in the studio. Being able to choreograph for competitions, to teach all ages, and being able to learn myself from my students and other teachers are just a few of the fun things I have gotten the opportunity to do. There have been so many non-dance-related experiences as well that I have gotten the opportunity to experience. Being able to go to holiday parties and events, seeing my students perform in local parades, and just having great and memorable times with everyone at fun events like competitions and conventions are just a few of the things that I love about my studio and job.
Now, 3 years later, I have realized that I have an undeniable love for this teaching thing. I love being able to teach my students so many different things. I don’t only get to create dances for different classes and for competition, but I also get the chance to teach my students qualities that will stay with them for life. Teaching them how to work together, how to be a leader, how to be confident in themselves, etc. I am always so excited to get to the studio each week and to see my students, and it is an amazing feeling when they are even more excited than you to be there. It is also so rewarding to see my students pick up new skills, hear that they are so eager to learn more, and just to see them grow in short amounts of time. There are many students that I have known for years, so it is amazing to see how much they have grown since they were tiny. To see them performing that dance on stage and see how happy they are after; it makes your heart want to burst. To see my students love dance the way that I have my entire life is one of my favorite things ever. These are just some reasons why I love my studio and job.
Teaching has definitely been one of the most rewarding things in my life, and it is crazy that I thought I would not like it at one point. It has given me not only the opportunity to share what I love with others, but it has also given me so many new relationships and experiences that I hope will stick with me forever. My studio is more like a huge family, and there’s just a ton of love there from everyone. I will be forever thankful for that one day in August of 2018 that I was asked if I would like the job and that I said yes. This is just a short summary of why I love my studio and my job.