Educational Philosophy
We strive to provide a learning environment where students can enjoy themselves because they feel safe and respected as individuals.
In order for this to happen, we follow a basic philosophy that serves as a guide in:
- Policy creation (such as the school code of conduct)
- Problem solving (such as how to correctly address and correct discipline issues)
- Making any other decisions that define the school
In the section below, we will briefly outline the main points of our educational philosophy as well as provide examples of how each tenet is applied in actual situations at the school.
We provide this information so that as a parent and prospective customer of Dance House, you are able to make an informed decision as to whether or not our philosophy is in line with your own, and therefore whether or not our school will be a good fit for you and your children.
Fairness: Also known as Practice what you Preach; this means that no one is exempt from the rules.
- All D.H.P. staff and faculty follow all of the same rules that students and parents are expected to follow.
- We do not play favorites; if a student has exceptional dance ability, we do not believe that they are entitled to special privileges. Nor do we believe that faculty or staff should turn a blind eye if these students act inappropriately.
Respect: Also known as the Golden Rule. In essence, we teach students to treat others as they themselves want to be treated.
- D.H.P. Faculty in no way tolerate rude or abusive behavior from students or their parents. In the same vein, D.H.P. staff, whether handling disciplinary issues or any other situation with students and parents, are calm and courteous.
- There is no tolerance at our school for discrimination.
- D.H.P. Faculty do not initiate, encourage, or participate in slanderous or negative conversation concerning other Dance Schools, their Students, or Faculty.
Directness: Also known as Being Upfront, Nothing to Hide, or What You See Is What You Get.
- If D.H.P Faculty have an issue with a student or parents, we confront that issue directly and with respect.
- We teach our students to bring any issues or concerns they may have with our school to their parents. Parents are then asked to contact D.H.P. to communicate these issues.
- We encourage parents to communicate to their issues or concerns to us. Feel free to e-mail or call to set up an appointment to meet in person or talk over the phone. As long as we are treated with respect, we will listen and take into consideration your thoughts and opinions.
Honesty/Integrity: Following are some examples of honesty in action at our school.
- If a student is not able to execute a certain skill or movement, we will communicate this fact to the student. This will be done respectfully, which means that we will explain to the student that when we correct them, or tell them that a particular area needs work, we are not saying so to be cruel or spiteful, but because it is the truth. Dance class is for people who want to become better dancers. In order for students to improve at dance, they need to be aware of what skills must be learned, re-trained, or improved. It is the job of the dance instructors to communicate these facts to students.
- D.H.P. Faculty are constantly engaged in continuing education- as instructors, we acknowledge that we can always learn more, and want to do so.
Responsibility: Also known as Discipline or Work Ethic. In our day to day life, we are all continuously confronted with a variety of situations and circumstances-some of which are out of our control, some not. We think that it is useless to dwell on what can't be changed. What is useful is being able to identify what situations we have the ability to change through our own actions.
Likewise, when when we fails at something, we think that it is useless (easy, but useless) to think that other circumstances or people are responsible for our failure. What is useful is being able to determine what actions we took (or didn't take) that lead to our failure. This is known as being responsible for your actions, and we do our best to teach this to our students.
- If someone wants to learn dance (or improve their dancing ability), this means that they have made a choice to work to learn (or improve) the skill. Therefore, students who come to dance class are expected to be ready to work. If a student has not made the choice to work, then they will learn nothing, even if they have the best teachers in the world.