So, I’m a teacher. A dance and theater teacher. This summer, I’ve actually taught less…in fact, in the three years I’ve officially been teaching I think this has been my most laid back summer. And it’s fantastic. I’ve always dreamed of being one of those ‘real’ teachers who get’s to take summer off.
But now Fall schedules are starting to roll around. Unlike li’l Vancouver, WA, schools in Fort Collins start as early as the third week of August…yes! It’s literally still 100 degrees out and school is in session. True, the pay off is summer begins early May, but August is still summer…May is SPRING. So, it’s a little wierd. And it means my July is interuppted with Fall schedule chitchat and bs and I have to make decisions on how much I want to teach vs how much I really want to make. Here’s the thing: It would be impossible to be a full time dance teacher. I know, I know, there are plenty of people who do it, but let me tell you: They are borderline crazy. Imagine yourself gallavanting with a bunch of 3 and 4 yr olds and suddenly one of them eats shit and starts a crying jag with the entire class. Or imagine that they ALL want to take their ballet slippers off, and they don’t understand when you tell them ‘no, that would be a bad idea.’ Let’s forget the nightmare of the group dynamic (ie 3-4 yr olds outnumber you 8 to 1). Instead, let me give you specific cases: The wiry, skittish, girl with the coke-bottle glasses who starts scratching her butt and whining: “I have itchy bumps on my bottom!!” Or when you look at a chubby kid complaining of being “tired” after 2 minutes of skips around the room and you know she’s going to battle a weight problem all her life. Or the cute, blond, angel of a girl who now and forever will get by on her looks and her looks only (until she hits 50 and has to start developing a personality). I’m telling you, I’ve gotten that good at reading these kids. And the parents…the parents are a whole other bag of apples. I’ve had parents wanting me to “slow it down” for their kid…SLOW IT DOWN? We spend 15 minutes playing Sleeping Fairy Princess, for crying out loud. It’s not like I’m asking them to decipher their left from their right (something a child is not capable of until they’re at least 7). I’ve had parents dress their children in the most ridiculous, heinous, costumes and than get pissed when I refuse to let their kid wear a 2 ton tutu and a gargantuan tiara on their head. Hell no! Not in my class!
Anyway, before the madness begins, Josh and I are heading to the NW. My brother, Sam, is graduating from Portland State University and I need to be there to witness it. So, August 13-20 we are P-Town Bound! Start making your reservations now, since Josh and I BOTH have family there. It was fine when we were just shacking up, but now that we’re married we’re required to make all sorts of guest appearances–Although we are freed up in the evenings :)