Another Day at the Studio

Saturday, September 29th
I had a class with 3-5 year olds this morning, and one of the students just wouldn't listen to anything at all! I couldn't get her to stand still on a colored square or to stop turning and kicking. This can be a very frustrating situation, especially when there are other children in the classroom who are behaving themselves and paying attention. So, I decided to shift gears to see if I could get the "lively" student to respond to my instructions.

I lined the kids up at one end of the room and we began to do chasses one at a time across the floor....this actually worked! Then we did ballerina walks and pirouettes in a hoola-hoop. I was able to keep everyone in line and they all performed beautifully.

I find it is best to avoid your frustrating feelings and thoughts and try another approach if your students are not responding to your instructions. This is a good philosophy for life in general. If something isn't working in your life....look for alternative approaches, or simply change your attitude to a more positive outlook. You may be surprised at the results.