I hate stubborn teenagers

In the routine for the 'advanced' jazz class, 6 of them partner up (into 3 groups) and one of the partners flips the other partner around (like a backflip, only sideways). 2 out of the 3 groups have the move down perfectly. With the 3rd group, it seems like one of them is always absent. They alternate being out. I think this group has practiced this flip maybe two classes out of the whole year (I'm telling you, they're never in class).


Yesterday, the entire class was there. MIRACLE!!! I can count on one hand how many times all year that the entire class was there at the same time. I have two girls that are graduating from high school in that class. The rest of them are juniors, plus a couple younger ones.

One of the girls in the above mentioned 3rd group, is a senior. She told me in the beginning of class that this would be her last class. Next week is her prom. The following week is her boyfriend's prom. The week after that is her graduation. Then it's recital week. Super. The most clueless kid in the class will remain clueless. Then all the other students start chiming in. 'I'm going to miss next week for prom too.' 'My brother is graduating so I won't be here that week either.'

Back to the original flipping problem. I told group 3 to practice that move since they weren't going to be in class anymore. This was their last chance to practice the trick. The girl that does the flipping (we'll call her Susie), informs me that she's not able to pick her partner up to flip her. She's making all these excuses that don't make any sense whatsoever. I ask one of the other groups to go help them. This move is not difficult at all, but it looks impressive. Susie flips her partner over once. It's messy. I give a correction. I assume they'll continue to practice the flip while I direct my attention to the rest of the class who don't flip.

When I look over again, they're standing around talking. I ask them to show me their progress. Susie says 'Last time I did this I threw out my back. I can't do it.' Really? You're seventeen. I tell her some things to do so that she won't hurt her back and turn my attention again to the rest of the class. I look over again. They're standing there with their arms crossed. Susie says 'I'm not going to hurt my back again. I'm not doing it.' I told her she's going to look silly when her group is just standing there while the other groups are flipping around. She said she'd rather look silly. I was so mad. I said 'Fine. Look silly.' Her partner was angry. I could see it in her face. That was it. I let them look dumb.

Cookies

Last week, a student came into class w/ a little yellow card she made herself. It said something like 'In honor of teacher appreciation week, I wanted to thank you for being a great teacher.' Aww, that was nice. Then she said 'I made it yellow because that's your favorite color'. Double awww. Jokingly, I read it out loud to the rest of the class, hoping they'd get the hint & do the same. Instead, one kid said 'You should have seen what she did for her teachers at school. One of them got a plant & the others got cookies'.

Her mom makes the best chocolate chip cookies. They are soooo thick, chewy & delicous. I look forward to the recital every year just for these cookies. So then, the poor girl got embarassed. She turned bright red & started blubbering about how her mom only let her make 2 dozen & she brought them for her teachers at school. She promised to make me some next week. I told her the card was great, thanked her again for it & continued with the class.

Well, yesterday, the cookie kid comes in with a nicely wrapped package of cookies for me, tied with a yellow bow.

Conversations with my Students

If only I started this years ago, I'd have enough material for a novel by now.


Yesterday, I was teaching jazz to a group of junior and senior high school students. While they were practicing their dance, I yelled out a correction to 'Lift your sternum'. One girl stopped dancing, stared at me for a while, then bursts out laughing. She came over to me and whispered, 'I thought you said scrotum'.


Ironically, on Tuesday, I had an interesting conversation with the above mentioned student's younger sister. She's in 8th grade. Knowing that middle school students are often uncomfortable with their bodies, I chose to refer to boobs as 'the girls'. This usually makes the class laugh & they don't feel as awkward about whatever it is that I'm talking about. So anyway, I was trying to describe how I wanted the class to place their arm. I wanted the right arm to be bent at the elbow & reaching across the body with the wrist flexed. To sum that direction up quickly, I said 'frame the girls'. I didn't invent the phrase. Teachers have said the same thing to me a million times. I get it. It works. So, this student asks me 'Why do you call them girls? Why don't you just call them breasts or ta-tas or something? What if they want to be boys?' My response, 'Why would they be boys?'. She said 'I don't know'. I walked away.