Student annoyances

[Nejmeh]

A little sister of the instructor annoyances tread. Could be towards other students or towards teachers.

- I` ll repeat the student who makes appointments to practice but doesn`t show up.
- have a class that starts at time X but consequently starts about 20 minutes later.
- I`ve never came across this at bd but I`m sure it happens, a teachers pet.
- when no corrections are given at all, if I would want that I would take my laptop, rent the room myself and copy that.


the place to practice in general can be quite annoying:
- have a 'dressing/changing room'in a corridor so complete strangers can walk into.
- have people from other rooms complain because our dancing 'sounds like a herd of elephants'(excuse you?!) and our music as fighting cats(again?!)

 

[Rue]

I'm never overly annoyed - takes too much energy.:lol:

But I do wish people would wear appropriate clothing to dance class (or even other classes). I don't think wearing spandex bottoms and a tight top (so you can see the body movements) - along with a hip scarf - is at all unreasonable. But I'd say 1/4 of the ladies show up in khakis and baggy t's.

I KNOW it doesn't matter in the big picture...but it's neither difficult or expensive to have those basics...and I think it does help. Even just to see yourself as you pass by the wall mirrors is beneficial.

Same with the community orchestra I play in. For performances we're supposed to wear black bottoms and a white top. There are always a few women (the men are better about it) who insist on all-black, off-white tops or navy blue bottoms.

I honestly don't get it.

 

[onela]

I'm never overly annoyed - takes too much energy.:lol:

But I do wish people would wear appropriate clothing to dance class (or even other classes). I don't think wearing spandex bottoms and a tight top (so you can see the body movements) - along with a hip scarf - is at all unreasonable. But I'd say 1/4 of the ladies show up in khakis and baggy t's.

I KNOW it doesn't matter in the big picture...but it's neither difficult or expensive to have those basics...and I think it does help. Even just to see yourself as you pass by the wall mirrors is beneficial.

Same with the community orchestra I play in. For performances we're supposed to wear black bottoms and a white top. There are always a few women (the men are better about it) who insist on all-black, off-white tops or navy blue bottoms.

I honestly don't get it.

I get that some people really don't want to show their bodies- I felt the same way for a long time and still do sometimes- but it irks me when people wear whatever they were wearing to work that day in dance class. First of all, I sweat when I dance when I'm appropriately attired for a dance class, so these people can't possibly be comfortable in a button down top and a skirt suit and nylons. Also I feel it's disrespectful if there's a house rule against street clothes in the studio or the teacher's class.

I also find that straight up blatantly not listening to the teacher is annoying for me- there's a guy that's in a class I used to take who would literally ignore our teacher if we were running old choreographies, she'd ask people who didn't know it to clear the floor for the run-through (we used to run old routines after the scheduled class time was finished, as there were no facility users immediately after us. So she wasn't telling people they couldn't participate during their time they'd paid for- which would be kinda dodgy). One routine had some skills of a harder difficulty level. It'd be fine if he had moved aside to learn/mark it, but he stood right in the middle of the room and we had to run it *around him* because he straight up didn't know it.

 

[jenc]

Someon who doesn't get it yet (says that her body isn't made that way and yet will happily demonstrate to others how to do it (wrong). Who will offer corrections and suggestions to me - who has been dancing for 4 years, and yet will throw a complete wobbly if I suggest she has missed her cue. (For the record - I take correction very well from anyone who I feel ckonws what they are talking about.

Same person - when the group splits into 2, with an option to attend both halves, gives beginners a miss and comes striaght into improvers and then spends her time complaining about how hard it is.

However, our instructor had to have 2 months off from injury and this person has not returned. classes are much more pleasant.

 

[Greek Bonfire]

When I know I am doing something wrong, and the instructor still won't tell me how to do it right. I would love to be told when I'm doing something wrong because how else will I learn? It never bothered me when I was given constructive criticism because that is why I am paying to attend classes. If I was to balk at that, I would be wasting my time and money.

 

[jenc]

When I know I am doing something wrong, and the instructor still won't tell me how to do it right. I would love to be told when I'm doing something wrong because how else will I learn? It never bothered me when I was given constructive criticism because that is why I am paying to attend classes. If I was to balk at that, I would be wasting my time and money.

Absolutely, I had been dancing for well over a year before anyone mentioned posture - and am still corrercting myself.

Another bugbear is when the instructor says "some of you haven't got" then sets us all practising and says that most of have now got it.

Does that mean that I could/couldn't do it when we started aor that I can/can't do it when we finished

 

[Shanazel]

Another bugbear is when the instructor says "some of you haven't got" then sets us all practising and says that most of have now got it.

Does that mean that I could/couldn't do it when we started aor that I can/can't do it when we finished

Devil's advocate here: I say "some of you haven't got" fairly frequently and always have everyone practice, not just those who are struggling. Extra practice never hurts "the one's what's got it" and sometimes singling people out time after time as "the ones who don't got it" does hurt. But during the subsequent practice, if the teacher spends most of her time working with other students and merely smiles at you or says some version of "nice job" you can figure you're doing good.

 

[Aniseteph]

Devil's advocate here: I say "some of you haven't got" fairly frequently and always have everyone practice, not just those who are struggling. Extra practice never hurts "the one's what's got it" and sometimes singling people out time after time as "the ones who don't got it" does hurt. But during the subsequent practice, if the teacher spends most of her time working with other students and merely smiles at you or says some version of "nice job" you can figure you're doing good.

My teacher does this too - if a significant proportion are having problems we all do an exercise and she will do the rounds and spend a little more time with people who need it. I think it's the only way to do it in a very mixed class.

But I agree with jenc that "some of you haven't got it" without that sort of targeted follow up and feedback is unhelpful and not very good for for your confidence if you aren't sure if you've got it or not. That is pretty much how I feel about most new things I learn... it looks and feels weird and clunky and I don't know if I'm on track and will get there with a bit of practice, or plain doing it wrong. I'm trusting my teacher to see the difference and put me straight when necessary, not just leave me in limbo.

I also find that straight up blatantly not listening to the teacher is annoying for me

YES! The thing about texting in class on the other thread is exactly that. Even if it's not disrupting the class for anyone else it strikes me as extremely rude and disrespectful of the teacher. :naghty:

 

[Yshka]

Oh my, since I've started teaching a couple of years back I can see so many of these things mentioned above I found disrespectful to me, fellow students and the teacher when I was still a student, but that strike me even more now that I am actually the teacher myself.

One of the biggest peeves for me is the student who arrives late, comes in disruptive and loud and then forces her way to the front row of the class because 'that's her usual spot' or some other nonsense reason. If you're late, be quiet and join at the back not to disrupt class for the others.

I had only one so far and am sorry to say, but I was quite happy when she left over 'personal reasons'...

 

[Greek Bonfire]

One of the biggest peeves for me is the student who arrives late, comes in disruptive and loud and then forces her way to the front row of the class because 'that's her usual spot' or some other nonsense reason. If you're late, be quiet and join at the back not to disrupt class for the others.

I had only one so far and am sorry to say, but I was quite happy when she left over 'personal reasons'...

This in a nutshell. One time we had a student who brought all of her personal problems to class, then made the rest of us feel like we had to consider her problems at all times. The instructor finally told her that she either had to go back to beginners or stay out until she could work out her problems because the other students were really getting annoyed. We were very grateful!

 

[Aniseteph]

... oh yeah, "usual spots", don't get me started...

I don't mind that we tend to gravitate to the same places, but it gets too fixed. Some people are ALWAYS in front now.

 

[Daimona]

... oh yeah, "usual spots", don't get me started...

I don't mind that we tend to gravitate to the same places, but it gets too fixed. Some people are ALWAYS in front now.

I would say it is the teacher's responsibility to encourage the students to change rows during the class, and each student is responsible to abide the teacher and make sure they don't stay at the same spot every single time.


(said one who tend to gravitate to the same spot wherever she started out, despite all attempts of changing rows )

 

[Aniseteph]

It's not my teachers fault really - we have a big studio with mirrors and usually not overcrowded so being able to see is usually not a problem (until you add a few extra people and veils - she DID rotate the rows last week!).

It's just that feeling of everyone having their spot and that you'll upset someone if you stand somewhere different.

 

[Daimona]

It's just that feeling of everyone having their spot and that you'll upset someone if you stand somewhere different.

Ah, I see. Unless this someone has some kind of known mental illness (and it is her/his her only safe spot in the classroom), bad habits like this really needs to be challenged..
She/he may be a bit grumpy in the beginning, but usually it won't last too long. If you were there first and don't move too much off during the class, no harm is really done. After a couple of classes, the grumpyness is either gone or she/he has found a new place...

 

[Nejmeh]

I have to admit I`m guilty of sort of claiming a spot, but it`s either left or right in the back. Just don`t feel comfortable in front of the class, I feel too tall then. But I don`t flip out when we have to change though

On the 'I just can`t do this part', I have a variation on this, 'my body doesn`t get it yet due to motoric skill issues, I`ll have to figure it out at home'. I pay close attention on what is said, try to hop along, but I know I won`t be able to do it untill I practice it one my own pace and way. Though my teacher is great with this, she just let me hop along UNTILL the next lesson, it would bug me if a teacher would not get that and would focus her entire lesson on correcting me. Thats just a waste of everyone`s time and money imo.

On the clothing for class issue, I agree you shouldn`t wear streetwear, even if it was just for your own comfort. But dressing up in a full professional bellydance costume in beginnersclass every single time is also a bit too much in my taste...

 

[onela]

I have to admit I`m guilty of sort of claiming a spot, but it`s either left or right in the back. Just don`t feel comfortable in front of the class, I feel too tall then. But I don`t flip out when we have to change though

...

On the clothing for class issue, I agree you shouldn`t wear streetwear, even if it was just for your own comfort. But dressing up in a full professional bellydance costume in beginnersclass every single time is also a bit too much in my taste...

Regarding spots: I hate it when nobody else will go in front. This is at its worst for me in the African Dance class I take- I'm happy to go up front for a while, but when we change spots, nobody will take my spot, so I end up there again. I am a confident dancer (despite not dancing African or belly dance for that long- I make PLENTY of mistakes in class while drilling, choreographies, across the floor...) but I would love to not be centre front like ever in class. I think some of my classmates would actually find it cathartic to make a mistake in front of the room.

If you're tall and statuesque, Nejmeh, you should own that and go up front and be proud to be tall, you're you and you should feel comfortable no matter where you are in a room I would love to have height! If your classmates are bold then they can kick it up a notch to dance with you (I'm barely 5 feet tall but my favourite duet I've ever done was with a tall, willowy redhead who was 6ft-something).

Regarding costuming in class: I take belly dance lessons from more than one instructor and my secondary instructor encourages costuming for class. I have old childhood ballet school habits (class attire only in class setting, costumes need to be "earned") so I think this is the weirdest thing like, *ever*, but a lot of the ladies in that class wouldn't have any other opportunity for costuming as they have no intentions for performing. For them, that's a major part of the class and if she changed the policy, they would probably leave and find another teacher who would encourage it. They don't come in "professional" costumes but probably would if they had them. As it is, they arrive for class dressed in their finest and their jingliest coin jewelery and their lingerie bras with coins and sequins stitched directly to the lingerie cups and they love every second of it

 

[jenc]

Usual spots.......... How about saving a spot for someone who isn't there. We were learning a choreo and I figured that you should be able to dance it wherever, in case everyone wasn't there on the night, but I was firmly informed that I had to leave room for Freda as she couldn't be there that night. by her friend that is.

 

[BellaBohemian]

As far as classroom attire; I sort of agree with Onela. I was a figure skater for many years prior to taking up belly dance and I felt I had to "earn" the ability to even wear a hip scarf (let alone wear a full costume lol). I guess that makes me a little bias when I see beginners who come in with the skirts and belts on the first day (not to mention it would be ashame if they spent that money and learned they didn't want to ever preform).

But I get really upset when girls come in with baggy jeans that are torn at the bottom! During a rehearsal day, one of the girls came in wearing her boyfriend's t-shirt and baggy jeans that covered her feet and were torn. She always had a little trouble with her turns, but now she had to turn on her pant legs. It was a disaster! A few of the other girls stepped on the torn pieces a few times which almost made her and them trip. . .

My biggest peeve: When people bring their purse, coat, shoes and other items onto the dancefloor. Every studio I've danced at has a room or bleechers that you can leave your items and there is someone at the front at all times. Can't tell you how many hoodies I've triped over.

 

[patiencepie]

I just read the first page of student annoyances and the one on teacher annoyances and I noticed all the comments are about "annoying things that students do" but I did not see anything about teachers. Is this an unethical thing to discuss or is there a thread somewhere about this? I have just been wondering because I have had great teachers and poor teachers and was wondering where people discuss this...

 

[Daimona]

Teachers who bring their personal problems to class and use the group of (paying) students as her therapy group.