Thursday 29 November 2007

Shock to the system

I wonder why there are so few people attending the classes I teach. It could be because I mix too many tracks, but I have said to them to tell me if they don't like it and so far I have only heard positive things. But me mixing tracks cannot be so bad, can it? I always mix the same tracks and I've switched one track at a time (some week I switched two) so they really get a chance to learn the tracks. For example, I have taught Hymn and We Rock for almost 7 weeks now and that's more time than I taught Girlfriend and Run To The Hills. I've still got 3 BC33 tracks in my mix, spread out so they got a chance to coast alternatively give it their all.

It cannot be because I have bad technique, cause I know I don't and the assessment only pointed out small little things, and I have heard numerous times that people think I have a Martial Arts background (which is flattering, considering I do not have one).

I know my choreography inside-out, 110%, and I pre-cue and make it easy for them to follow (and the assessment said this too). So that cannot be the problem either.

Could it be that they do not like my teaching style? I am a bit humorous, self-aware and think I have a really good mix of serious technical cues and fun. I am reminding them of the correct technique many, many times and I show them, too. I vary my teaching with both verbal and visual cues to only visual or only verbal cues.
I do tend to say weird things sometimes but I doubt people would stop coming because I, for example, sometimes say "heel" instead of "elbow".

Maybe it is because I might sound a bit patronizing when I speak (my friends tell me I sound different when I teach)? I have no idea, but I do not think that is the case either because then somebody would have told me, I think. If I do, then I really do not mean to.

I also try to make as much individual contact as possible and when I do, I get smiles back and sometimes they shout! I also correct them individually from time to time, so they shouldn't feel forgotten.

I really cannot put my finger on exactly what is wrong.

Tuesdays are going great and it is Annica's class. She always has over 15 people attending however when I covered her class two days ago there were only 9, 7 of them were regulars, rest were totally new. My Thursdays started out great with 25 - 30 people but after three weeks, the numbers gradually sank lower and lower and then I was down to 7 - 11 people per week. Then came Halloween and I suddenly got 20 people in my class and the class after had 16 people so I thought that I had done it, I had gotten more people to my class. But they kept on sinking. Last week we were 8 I think and today.... NOBODY IS BOOKED! 5 hours left to the class and NOBODY is booked. Wow. That's a huge blow to take. And all the other classes on Thursdays always have over 10 people attending, including today except today I have zero and the rest of the classes have many (I think the one with the least has 12).

It is really depressing. I am trying so hard to be a good instructor and yet, I only feel like I fail. It confuses me that Annica has told me she thinks I am great and she was REALLY enthusiastic about it, I doubt she lied (she filmed the class that was assessed), the GFM at Sportlife said so too and I got my license but yet, it feels like people don't like me... :(

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I like you, my wonderful combat-man.

Sara said...

Det är för att folk (vi) är feta jävlar som hellre vill sitta hemma och runka.