Describing Effect of Students Disability; how I as a dance teacher, cope with finding different ways to vary my teaching in a studio with students of different abilities.
I have two students that suffer from some sort of disability. I have a 13-year-old girl who I will call E, that suffers from Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI), or brittle bone disease, and another younger 10-year-old female student that I will call C, that suffers from dyslexia. One disease is more physical and more is more mental and I have to deal with both differently to help my students in different ways in their dance classes.
E was the first student I ever encountered in my classes that had a disability. She has a more mild form and unless you really watch her stretch or dance, you would never know that she had OI at all. I first started teaching her when she was about 10 years old. I remember her coming into my class and her mom told me about her disability. But at the time, as a young and inexperienced teacher, all I noticed was that she was extremely flexible and bendy. With OI, I have found out that stretching too much or landing a little too differently from a jump or a roll, what would be a minor twist or bruise to me, could actually be an extreme break or fracture for E. From time to time, E would come into class in an air cast or a real cast because she twisted her ankle just walking to school or she hit her arm on the kitchen counter and accidentally broke her arm. At first, I only thought of her as a very accident-prone child. But as she has gotten older and I have taught her for three years, I have had to deal with her in different ways than I do with my regular students.
As E has gotten older, she has become the prime age to start pre-pointe and getting more serious in her ballet training. This year has been the most difficult because E’s mom, my studio owner and I have had to have honest conversations with E about her bones and how she has to be careful in dance. Because I do not physically feel what E does and I don’t really know her limits, I cannot always protect her from becoming injured in a regular ballet class. What looks normal to me at the barre could be pushing E too far and risking her breaking something. I have had to teach E to communicate with me about combinations she is not comfortable performing and simplifying certain movements so eliminate any risks. I have had to also hold E back from trying certain new movements or learned new ways to teach new movement so that it is executed properly and she doesn’t get hurt.
At thirteen years old, hormones have made E act more like a teenager and she has the extreme want to fit in and do everything that her other dance friends are doing. But she is often absent from injury or absent to travel and receive bone transfusions to strengthen her body and it makes her feel left behind and left out. I often have to give her some special treatment so that when she is gone, she can still be included, it is truly sad to see her want to participate and want to push herself when she really isn’t allowed to or she will risk really injuring herself.
My other student, C, struggles with dyslexia. The only thing I have noticed with C is that she gets turned around a lot and struggles to either reverse choreography or pick it up at times. With C, I have learned patience with teaching choreography slowly and multiple times. I often have to take her to the side and really break down the movement and do it with her so her brain can comprehend it and pick it up. I feel sorry for C sometimes because she is so eager to learn but often gets frustrated with herself because she cannot pick up simple choreography quickly like her friends can. I really have to encourage her in class to keep trying and commend her efforts when she eventually gets something so that she feels accomplished and doesn’t give up in class or get mad at herself. I also have to teach her side by side at times instead of having her mirror me because it really confuses her brain at times. I am currently working on better ways to teach and simplify movement for C so that she never feels left out.
Any student at any age, has some difficulty or another when it comes to learning or picking up choreography in the classroom. I am forever learning as a dance teacher and I can only hope to continue to spread my love and passion for ballet and dance in general while catering to each students needs.
