Taking vs Sharing

September 19, 2019

I am not a fan of taking classes.

Better put, I’m not a fan of taking classes.

By that, I prefer the idea of sharing classes. That’s really what you’re paying for, isn’t it? You are sharing a class experience with others. As a group, you are learning something together. As a group, you are accepting instruction that allows everyone in the group to progress.

Sometimes students in group classes can get caught up in their own individual experience. The taking, if you will. Others just fundamentally misunderstand the shared class dynamic, missing the group classes structure altogether. They can sometimes treat a class like a private lesson, which it is not.

What does it mean to SHARE a class?

• Recognize and embrace that your fellow classmates will intake the material at differing rates.

• Know that you’ll have a partner most of the time, but not necessarily all of the time.

• Accept that you may or may not get your very specific (as it relates to yourself) question answered until the music comes on. Also, realize that sometimes your question can’t be answered within the structure of the shared class experience.

• Take responsibility to do your best in executing the material as it it taught (unless you have some compelling reason to do otherwise).

• Do your part in creating a safe, supportive, and encouraging learning environment for everyone. That means being patient with yourself and your partners.

My responsibility as a teacher? Beyond giving instruction, ensuring an environment that allows everyone to share the class fairly and joyfully. If I’m fulfilling my role, sharing the class should be a relatively easy task for my students.