Is her criticism constructive or destructive?
• Have the students been inspired to work hard and find pleasure in that work? • What mattered to me [the mother of a three-year-old] was the attitude of the teachers, who were kind and generous and loving to the children. • Does (s)he encourage the children to be expressive in their dancing by describing or having them describe the mood of the music or the movement? • Does (s)he insist on pupils being neatly dressed (and is (s)he neatly dressed herself)? Another poster puts it this way: Do the students appear to be well groomed with hair neatly away from the face and dressed modestly in leotard and tights? Some people feel that students who are dressed uniformly work better as a group. It may also be easier for the teacher to spot mistakes. • Does the class appear to be at a similiar age (within 3 years) and development? • Speak to some of the other “ballet moms.” They’re probably biased, but some may be able to help you. • Also do a little research on the methods of dancing (i.e., Ce
