Teaching Vision  

When I was a little girl, I was always asked by my school classmates and family members, why dance? Why do you love to attend dance classes? What is so special about dance? As an elementary school student, I could never articulate the magnitude, importance, and impact attending dance classes had and would continue to have on me. I would respond to those questions with “because it's fun” or “because I am good at dance”, or even “because I love my teacher”. While all of those statements were true, they did not tell the complete story of what dance truly did for me as a child.  

 As a little girl and adolescent, I loved dance class because it was the one place I truly felt accepted; the one place I truly felt at home. It gave me the confidence to accept and honor myself for all that I am, and for all I will continue become. Dance magnified my voice, a voice that traveled with me outside of the classroom doors. Dance creates a community; it allows all students regardless of race, identity, size, gender, culture, and abilities to come together and be welcomed for all that they are. 

 One of my favorite phenomena of education is that it is cyclical in nature. We, as educators, are embarking on our educational journeys because of the teachers who came before us; the teachers who inspired us. The teachers who showed us not only the beauty of movement, but the beauty that lives inside of every single one of us.  I was so deeply inspired and empowered by the educators in my life, that I cannot contain my desire and joy to pass it along.

 Dance Education is vital in the world of K-12 education because every human body deserves the chance to experience movement--not only on a kinesthetic level, but on an artistic, intellectual and spiritual level. I believe dance is and deserves to be considered a core subject because it establishes and refines motor functioning, creating a comprehensive movement vocabulary.  Dance instills higher order thinking and I believe that creative and experimental inquiry encourages diverse learning outcomes; diverse learning that will expand beyond my dance classroom’s four walls. Dance education provides and honors cross curricular foundations for student’s successful lives as active members of their chosen communities. These pedagogical beliefs are embedded in my understanding and appreciation of the cornerstones for dance education.  

 My mission as a dance educator is to create a welcoming environment for all students to be supported as they begin their life-long processes of discovery and exploration. I magnify my students' voices, to support them on their journey as confident and capable members of society. I ensure comprehensive pedagogies and curriculum that allow students to intellectually, creatively, and artistically flourish, and add relevance and complexity to their everyday lives.  My mission is to be an inspiring and empowering force in my students’ lives, so they are excited and motivated to continually learn and grow.  For every single student who walks through my classroom doors, my mission is to create that very sense of home and acceptance I felt all those years ago as a little girl.