Being a University student comes with multiple unavoidable costs such as tuition, gas, food, textbooks, the list goes on. This is why many of us, including myself, work several times a week, all while multitasking a full course load. In my case, my method of earning money is working as a dance teacher. My schedule consists of teaching after school every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Although it may seem like a lot of commitment, I wouldn’t trade it for the world!
I began officially teaching when I was in grade 12, but I had been assisting teachers in the classroom for a few years before that. This is now my fourth year teaching and I can confidently say that it is truly rewarding. Whether it is seeing your students push themselves, seeing how much love they have for you, being able to be in touch with your creative side, or just the exercise component of it, this is the best job I’ve ever had.
Throughout the years I’ve taught almost every student enrolled at my studio at some point in time. The only exception is the newer and younger students (6 years old and younger). I’m not the best with the younger kids so I purposely request to work with older kids who are generally high schoolers. Because I know the majority of students, whenever I enter the studio I’m almost always instantly welcomed with hugs or I hear “Hey Miss Liz!” from down the hall. Seeing how their faces light up when they see me, or how excited they get when they find out I teach them, will never fail to put a smile on my face. As egotistical as it may come off, being recognized for the impact you have on people’s lives is one of my favourite human experiences. Especially on days when I feel stuck in life, I always know that no matter what, the time and energy I put into the kids makes a difference.
Another thing I love about the job is seeing how hard my students work. Obviously, the majority of these kids (especially the older ones) want to be at dance so they have a decent amount of drive already within them. However, I noticed that if I put the energy towards their progress as a dancer, they will put even more energy towards reaching their goals. Then with consistency, those students will reach those goals and it is so rewarding for me as a teacher. I’m always excited to see that they can perform whatever new skill it is that they’ve been working on, but it’s more about their reaction. Being able to visually see how proud they are of themselves, and knowing that you helped them get there is so heartwarming.
Then there’s also the creative aspect of the job. At my studio, I teach classes but I also choreograph dances for the recreational and competitive kids. Because of this, I get to experiment with my creative and musical side. When I choreograph a dance, or even just when I’m picking my songs, I always opt for what I call “layered songs” meaning they have multiple musical components. This is because when I choreograph, I like to play around with switching from the movements following the lyrics, then the guitar, then the backbeats, etc. Also, I love to play with visuals. When I have a large group of dancers the possibilities are endless. I can be as creative as I want and test out visuals I can see in my head. Since I’m in a very core stem program in school, I don’t get much creative leeway, so these choreography opportunities are extremely precious to me.
Honestly I could go on forever and ever about why being a dance teacher has kept me sane throughout university, even if it means sacrificing what little time I have in my schedule to do it. I appreciate the income it gets me, but I would genuinely do it for free. When I’m teaching it doesn’t ever feel like work. This is why I find it so important to make sure I pursue something I’m passionate about because then the possibilities are endless.