I am letting you in on a secret. Teachers DO have favorites.
Gasp.
Know what else? Everyone you work with or for... all of your life... will also have favorites.
The only thing is, many of them will deny the obvious.
It has happened. A disgruntled dancer (or, more often, their mama), snarls "Just because she is not your FAVORITE, like so-and-so"... and I nod and agree.
This is fun for me.
Here is the deal. I have ALOT of favorites. My choosing of the favorites is not a choice. It happens because The Favorites all have the same attributes.
They Practice.
They Pay Attention In Class.
They Are Respectful to me, themselves, and their fellow dancers.
They Practice.
They Mentor willingly.
They Attend Events WITHOUT grumbling.
Oh. And... They Practice.
I am certain that the person who is one of my favorites is OFTEN a teacher's favorite. Dance builds discipline. That discipline carries over into other aspects of daily life. It is a simple formula.
It should be noted... someone can start out as a NON fave and end up at the top of the list. Guess how? Yup. They Practice.
Life is harsh. Let your child learn to deal with it. Let them learn from mistakes and grow from disappointments. Cry with them. Hold their hand for a minute. And then, do NOT go to the teacher and ask WHY they are not a favorite. Instead, encourage them to build the character traits needed to succeed and flourish at what they have chosen to do.
Oh. Wait. Yes... CHOSEN to do. I often tell my dancers that no one put a gun to their head and said they had to dance. It was a choice. Hopefully, it was their choice. Learning something is rarely free. Respect what effort and expense your parents put forth in order for you to learn something new and LEARN it.
A good teacher will help you learn. A great teacher will MAKE you learn.
All through this hopefully long life, we have the chance to be a Favorite. It doesn't end as adults. Favorites help build the set in their child's play. They make props for dance class. They run the booster club for football. They fluff the poms for cheerleaders. They are present, they are active, they are supportive. They are NOT interfering.
It is a thin line we all walk. We say "be true to yourself"... but sometimes, that "self" is too selfish vs. selfless. Being a Favorite should never be a job. If we all tried to do our best, every classroom could be filled with Favorites.
That, my friends, would be my Favorite Ending.
