Tomorrow is the last day that I am teaching 'Circus Week' here in Swifts Creek, rural Victoria. So rural the town has a hall, an IGA, a pub, a school and no almond milk for miles.
They have put us up in a lovely little miners' cottage, and I have been waking before the sun comes up whilst everything is quiet to practice yoga as the birds wake up and the light starts to dissolve over the hills into the sky. After school, been processing the day with long bush walks featuring parakeet, bellbird, gallah, kookaburra and roo sightings, and the evening cooling the hills before an early night.
These parts of my day have been my refuge as the teaching itself has bought it's challenges. The 11 year 8 students here come from rural families in all flavours and varieties. The country culture makes the accents thick, desire to be seen failing or looking stupid in front of your mates low (most 13 year olds aren't keen on that) need to be the centre of attention and amount of eye rolls per minute by some classmembers high.
I was hired by a wonderful soul to team up with her to create a show in a week for these kids, she has come to this school twice before. We have been working with them all day everyday, teaching them poi, staff, hoops, choreography, acrobalance, tumbling and tramp to make into a 20 minute. Learning such skills requires a lot of patience, a lot of time spent not getting it right, getting back up and doing it again.
For some members of the class, if they didn't get the staff straight away, or had to stand and listen to how to do it, they would immediately give up. They trash talk their mates, hit them with the staff, lie on the floor in the middle of the class, ruining it for the rest of the group who were working hard, picking the staves up if they dropped em and giving it another crack.
As a dance and acrobatics teacher; I used to be really mean. I used to death stare 10 year olds, point at someone then point to the door, signalling for them to get out without explaining why. I would shake my head disappointedly and yell and scream till my voice was horse. Not every class I taught, but some.
Cue 5 years of life experience- a lot of inward reflection, a serious meeting with a parent who didn't hold back, forgiving myself, and yoga teacher training, and I have softened a lot.
And by jingo has it made it a way more enjoyable experience.
Still; this week has made me want to go back to some of those old ways.
Of using fear as a tool rather than being an inspiration.
Shaming them into doing it right probably like whoever they have at home is doing, calling people weak, pussies, girls, sooks, and all that that I hear them call each other.
These bush walks have given me time to reset each day, fill up the patience tank so that I only shove them into their spots twice a day rather than shove them off that big hill I sat on for the picture.
Patience doesn't come easy. It requires effort, so that things can be easier later. Kind of like making your lunch the night before requires effort but makes the morning easier. Or how calling your friend to tell them you can't come to their party on Saturday takes effort but it is easier than having your friend be upset at you and maybe not want to invite you next time....(oooohhhh I have a post about that here)
How perky is your patience muscle? If a youtube video takes too long to load, do you just sit and look out the window, or open 20 other tabs/apps, which also take time to open......
Does waiting for a toddler to tie their shoes make you want to cut your toes off?
Is waiting for your toast in the toaster make you want to go to hell and back just because you know hell is hot and at least that must mean your toast will be made faster?
I still don't know if they are going to come to school tomorrow for the performance.
I don't know if they are going to remember the bits that they are in and aren't in, or if I tell them they are standing in the wrong spot they will roll their eyes and walk offstage.
I know that if they do pull through, they will feel an awesome sense of achievement with their mates clapping for them and see that hard work pays off.
Cheesy I know, but there's no almond milk here.
Jj
They have put us up in a lovely little miners' cottage, and I have been waking before the sun comes up whilst everything is quiet to practice yoga as the birds wake up and the light starts to dissolve over the hills into the sky. After school, been processing the day with long bush walks featuring parakeet, bellbird, gallah, kookaburra and roo sightings, and the evening cooling the hills before an early night.
Bushwalk view. My friend said I look surprised in this pic but really I'm just waiting for selfie timer.
I was hired by a wonderful soul to team up with her to create a show in a week for these kids, she has come to this school twice before. We have been working with them all day everyday, teaching them poi, staff, hoops, choreography, acrobalance, tumbling and tramp to make into a 20 minute. Learning such skills requires a lot of patience, a lot of time spent not getting it right, getting back up and doing it again.
For some members of the class, if they didn't get the staff straight away, or had to stand and listen to how to do it, they would immediately give up. They trash talk their mates, hit them with the staff, lie on the floor in the middle of the class, ruining it for the rest of the group who were working hard, picking the staves up if they dropped em and giving it another crack.
As a dance and acrobatics teacher; I used to be really mean. I used to death stare 10 year olds, point at someone then point to the door, signalling for them to get out without explaining why. I would shake my head disappointedly and yell and scream till my voice was horse. Not every class I taught, but some.
Cue 5 years of life experience- a lot of inward reflection, a serious meeting with a parent who didn't hold back, forgiving myself, and yoga teacher training, and I have softened a lot.
And by jingo has it made it a way more enjoyable experience.
Still; this week has made me want to go back to some of those old ways.
Of using fear as a tool rather than being an inspiration.
Shaming them into doing it right probably like whoever they have at home is doing, calling people weak, pussies, girls, sooks, and all that that I hear them call each other.
These bush walks have given me time to reset each day, fill up the patience tank so that I only shove them into their spots twice a day rather than shove them off that big hill I sat on for the picture.
"Patience is not simply the ability to wait- it's how we behave whilst we are waiting."
Patience doesn't come easy. It requires effort, so that things can be easier later. Kind of like making your lunch the night before requires effort but makes the morning easier. Or how calling your friend to tell them you can't come to their party on Saturday takes effort but it is easier than having your friend be upset at you and maybe not want to invite you next time....(oooohhhh I have a post about that here)
How perky is your patience muscle? If a youtube video takes too long to load, do you just sit and look out the window, or open 20 other tabs/apps, which also take time to open......
Does waiting for a toddler to tie their shoes make you want to cut your toes off?
Is waiting for your toast in the toaster make you want to go to hell and back just because you know hell is hot and at least that must mean your toast will be made faster?
I still don't know if they are going to come to school tomorrow for the performance.
I don't know if they are going to remember the bits that they are in and aren't in, or if I tell them they are standing in the wrong spot they will roll their eyes and walk offstage.
I know that if they do pull through, they will feel an awesome sense of achievement with their mates clapping for them and see that hard work pays off.
Cheesy I know, but there's no almond milk here.
Jj
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