10/27-Dance Abilities

Today I spent time helping set up a Halloween Dance for students who have disabilities. It was an ejoyable time. Adverstisements were put up across campus for the event. There was music, food, and plenty of interesting costumes.
I encountered one student who was shy about dancing. I made sure to be silly when I danced so as to make her feel more comfortable. She laughed at me and told me I was funny. She did start to dance just a little bit after seeing me make a fool of myself. I was plenty happy to do so. As a Resident Assistant at SUNY Cortland I have always prided myself on being able to let my guard down around others in order to make my residents feel comfortable around one another. When I am able to set the tone for the floor that I oversee it makes me feel accomplished. I carried this experience over to the dance on that night. As a teacher I will have many students who are not looking to participate for a variety of reasons. My transition from student to teacher has been a benefit to me as well. I am not self-conscious like I was maybe in high school. Being a teacher gives you no time to be self-conscious. If I lock up for any amount of time the unmotivated and less eager students will be a lot more likely to stand on the side while class is being conducted.
What I learned most from this dance was that I need to be the one who sets the tone for the class. It can go a long way depending on how much I put into the class.