Dealing with Mean Teachers

I've had my share of mean teachers in my ballet career and probably many more to come. Sometimes it can be easy to get discouraged by their comments, but you can also turn it into a positive experience. I once had a teacher that the whole year she didn't say a single word to me. I was very upset but mostly confused. Am I doing good? What am I doing wrong? So in every class I tried my hardest to get her attention. It didn't work but her ignoring me actually help me improve in my mindset. It made me think, "I should be working this hard in every class."  So along with this one, I will give you tips on dealing with hypercritical teachers.

Apply their corrections- If they are always yelling things at you left and right try to apply them. It will show them that you actually care. Well, you should always care but show them that you care more than you usually care. It might get them to pay attention to you.

Ignore "The Favorites"- We all have a favorite in our group. Its going to happen and it really sucks when its not you. Sometimes it might even be for stupid reasons like they give the teachers spa treatment coupons once a month or something. Anyway, they are them and you are you so stop trying to be them. You will never be satisfied if you compare yourself to others.

I found a great article about dealing with favorites by Pointe Magazine if you want to check it out.

Suck it up!- Ok, this might sound a little harsh but if you are planning to be on a professional ballet company there are going to be directors that will be mean towards you and there is nothing that you can do about it. In the long run you will see how much you have grown mentally and physically.

Talk With your Teachers- If you feel that you are ignored or bullied by your teachers then ask them after class if they could talk with you for a couple minutes about. Maybe they didn't even know that you felt overlooked. It will be intimidating but you won't regret it.

Know when it is time to switch- Sometimes some schools aren't right for some dancers. Once you have done everything to improve your situation and still feel like the teachers aren't giving you feedback to help you improve it might not be the right place for you. Ballet is a subjective art and your style might not fit the style of the studio or the teachers

Courtesy of Ballet Classroom