Stay Active, Keep Current, Be Relevant
"The worst curse to befall anyone is stagnation, a banal existence,
the quiet desperation that comes out of a need for conformity." ~ Deepak Chopra
Life is a series of changes, a chain of events that opens the door for refinement and evolution along the journey. I strive to continue this process of change as I look to my future.
I was not made to remain stagnant.
In designing this portfolio, I broke down my experiences into three categories. It is through these categories that I understand the direction of my future goals. As a lifelong learner, I must stay focused on my development so that I remain an active agent within the dance community. As an educator eager to connect, I must integrate technology into my classroom and remain current in my field. As a coach focused on challenging my athletes, I must refine my leadership style and remain relevant in their lives. This program has allowed me to discover many topics that I hope to continue to explore, as I stay active, keep current and become relevant in the eyes of my students and myself.
An Active, Lifelong Learner
The past few years have been split between my job and my studies. This engagement has limited the time and energy I have to focus on my own personal development. I intend to refocus myself on networking within the dance community and revitalizing my performance as a artist. The first way I anticipate jumping back into the dance scene is through taking professional classes to restore my passion and refresh the joy I find in dance. These classes will stretch my personal style and help me advance my own education.
To stay informed with new trends, I am interested in joining the Texas Dance Educators Association where I can participate in master classes and professional workshops. As an active TDEA member, I will be invited to their annual convention as part of a “professional learning community where innovative ideas in the field of dance are celebrated”. Staying active within the dance community will help me continue to evolve as a lifelong learner.
A Current, Eager Educator
To remain current and connect to my students, I want to learn how to best integrate technology into my classroom. Receiving my degree through an online program has opened my eyes to the convenience of technology and its growing importance in education. With the video capabilities of the iPad I received through my school and an app called Dartfish, I will be able to pinpoint student’s areas of improvement and provide them with immediate feedback. I am interested in diving deeper into this technology as an evaluative tool to help my students improve.
I am eager to strengthen relationships and connect through what is important to my dancers; technology. Creating an Instagram account for my program will allow me to be up-to-date and document our successes. Another resource is to utilize Charms Office Assistant to manage communication, organization and financial services. Finally, I hope to set up my teams on an app called Remind so that I can actively communicate with them while at competitions. With these tools at my fingertips, I will be able to thoroughly engage in electronic communication and start a new wave of physical education teaching. Keeping current in technology and integrating these resources into my classroom will assist in the continuous refinement of my ability to be an eager educator.
A Relevant, Challenging Coach
As part of my graduate journey, I read Joe Ehrmann’s book, InSide Out Coaching. Ehrmann reflected on his coaching journey and encouraged readers to do the same by asking, “What does it feel like to be coached by me?”
This question sparked a fire within me to be present in every moment, find joy in teaching, and look back with no regrets. I built upon my coaching philosophy through reading this book and I know that Joe Ehrmann is not the only inspiring coach to write about his journey. As I look to the future, I hope to learn from the experiences of others by reading the published works of great coaches such as John Wooden, Tony Dungy, Phil Jackson and Lou Holtz, just to name a few.
I want to leave a lasting legacy with my students that extends beyond the physical and in learning about the coaching styles of others, I believe I can do just that. Being relevant in my student’s lives and teaching them important life skills will enhance my ability to challenge my athletes and be a coach focused on growth.
As I transition from student to graduate, I hope to never stop learning and growing as I seek to stay active, keep current and be relevant. I am determined to reach my goals and continue refining myself in order to make the world around me a better place. I will not give into conformity or stagnate. My future learning endeavors will embrace change and look upon the future as a chance to evolve, refine and improve myself as a learner, educator and coach.
"Look around you. Everything changes.
Everything on this earth is in a continuous state of evolving,
refining, improving, adapting, enhancing...changing.
You were not put on this earth to remain stagnant." ~ Dr. Steve Maraboli
Photo Credit:
MA Dance
Personal Photos