Finding my 'Why': Reflections on Teaching, Learning and Leading

Friday January 26^th 2024

My early teaching career began when I was at school in Belgium, aged 6. The international school I attended in Liege was tiny, with about 20 students in the whole school. Classes had a mix of ages, and to keep me and my 20-month-older sister, they put me in the younger group. My lovely teacher, the late Halyna Fedyniak, who was from Ukraine, got me involved in leading the lessons. This, I believe, is where my love for teaching and helping others first started.

This passion evolved into leading dance groups at my secondary school in Suffolk during my teens. The school had no dance offering, and I was determined to change that. My friends humoured me, enjoying the many colourful leotards I had to offer and the choreography I wanted to stage. Simply put, I wanted to share my passion for dance.

As the Principal at Elmhurst, I lead the organisation, covering vision, strategy, business model, budgeting, fundraising, lobbying, curriculum design, and staff recruitment and development, all focused on providing the best for Elmhurst students. Of course, there are less enjoyable sides to my job, including navigating immense regulations, inspections, managing funding cuts, and dealing with issues when things don't go so well. COVID took its toll on the school, on me personally (juggling the school's operations and two very young kids at home solo), and affected all our lives profoundly, influencing how we feel about ourselves and the world we live in.

Stepping back, I reflect on my 'Why.' Why do I get up in the morning and do what I do professionally? One of my big drivers is wanting to provide the healthiest and happiest experience for our students during their time with us, in the simplest of terms - helping them. We all know how competitive the dance world is, and each student has their own goals and ambitions that are unique to them. I feel strongly that it’s our job to help them navigate and realise their personal ambitions. I am constantly learning from our students, they are smart, funny, and have insightful perspectives on various issues. They really are shaping our future, and our job is to facilitate that.

Over the last few years, I've stepped back into the studio, working with the Graduate year students to help them prepare their outreach workshops for our Ballet & Beyond programme, a big passion of mine. I've enjoyed the sessions so much that they became a highlight of my week. This year, I decided to extend my connection further and embarked on a project with our newest recruits in Year 7. We started with a name game, basically to help my ageing brain retain their names! The students enjoyed making up their movements to their names and teaching the whole group. I then taught them some choreography, and when I asked them about the stimulus for it, they said, ‘ninjas Miss’! Well, it was far simpler than that, it was based on the shapes of the letters in my name, using different pathways, levels, surfaces, and dynamics. They were all pretty surprised that something so simple could generate complex choreography, so they set about creating their own with energy. We have manipulated these solos into duets and trios, and we are working on mapping it all together. They are an absolute delight to work with - focused, diligent, and so capable both physically and intellectually, applying themselves to the work. It gets my week off to a great start and reconnects me with my ‘Why.’

The fact that from a young age I loved teaching and sharing my passion for movement with others made me want to create an environment where everyone learns but, importantly, enjoys the process. At the same time, the sessions are really helping me get to know the group. What’s not to like! At Elmhurst, our 2025 strategy includes providing outstanding and challenging opportunities to inspire the students in their dancing, and I hope this is a small way that I can contribute to that.