Small-scale power dynamics
In my ballroom dance class, there is one student who is not very apt at learning to dance and who doesn't practice at all (personally, I wonder if he wouldn't be a better match for the next class level down), and another student who attends maybe 1 or 2 out of every 3 classes, and thus is frequently behind and doesn't know what is going on (though she is a pretty quick study). These people bother me a little bit, since I feel like their lack of basic commitment is slowing the class down. Yes, the aforementioned gentleman is a slow learner, but he would be WORLDS better if he practiced at all during the week. Yes, the aforementioned lady picks of the steps she missed fairly quickly, but I also learn quickly and do not consider it an option to show up only when I feel like it.
I am annoyed by these students, but I do my best to be friendly and welcoming to them just the same. I would like to think that they have not been given any reason to believe that I am annoyed.
The same apparently cannot be said for our instructor.
The problem here is not that our teacher is annoyed (which he is), it is how he responds to the annoyance. Instead of speaking to these students privately for a moment to explain their inconsiderateness or to ask if there is anything wrong or if he can help them better, our instructor has begun to make fun of them. In fact, he makes fun of anyone who messes up enough, and this really bothers me.
His teaching style in general has a lot of poking-fun-at-us to begin with, but it was in a respectful, productive way at first. Now, I feel like it slips a little too far sometimes into actually being mean. He puts people on the spot, embarrasses them, and chides instead of helps a little too often. I don't care how annoyed he may be at our class or the individuals therein, it is unkind and unprofessional to make people feel inferior when you have the opportunity to guide them instead.
On top of this, my body has finally started to remember what it feels like to dance and I am doing quite well in the class. This has led to clear favoritism on his part towards me, which makes me equally uncomfortable. In years past, it was not uncommon for me to be used as an example to other dance students in my classes, but in those situations the other students were not being disrespected for not dancing as well as I was. At the beginning of this current class, I was not selected any more often than others to demonstrate, and this was quite fine with me. In my most recent class, the instructor chose to demonstrate with me EVERY TIME.
The disparity between how he treats me and how he treats some of the other students is uncomfortable and has not gone unnoticed by the class. Fortunately for me, the others in the class are genuinely nice people and are extremely kind and supportive of me, but
that only makes it worse when they are being picked on and I am not.
I feel like I am in a unique position to say something to the instructor, since I am already in his good graces and I am not on the victimized end of the power dynamic, but I also really don't want to stir up a big controversy if the others in the class would rather ignore it. On the one hand, they should speak up if they have a problem. On the other hand, they probably don't want to sound whiney or risk annoying him even more. I'm in an arguably more objective position and on the oppression side of the power dynamic, which puts me in a strong place to speak up.
Any thoughts? Suggestions? I know it's not just me who feels this way about the class dynamics.
I am annoyed by these students, but I do my best to be friendly and welcoming to them just the same. I would like to think that they have not been given any reason to believe that I am annoyed.
The same apparently cannot be said for our instructor.
The problem here is not that our teacher is annoyed (which he is), it is how he responds to the annoyance. Instead of speaking to these students privately for a moment to explain their inconsiderateness or to ask if there is anything wrong or if he can help them better, our instructor has begun to make fun of them. In fact, he makes fun of anyone who messes up enough, and this really bothers me.
His teaching style in general has a lot of poking-fun-at-us to begin with, but it was in a respectful, productive way at first. Now, I feel like it slips a little too far sometimes into actually being mean. He puts people on the spot, embarrasses them, and chides instead of helps a little too often. I don't care how annoyed he may be at our class or the individuals therein, it is unkind and unprofessional to make people feel inferior when you have the opportunity to guide them instead.
On top of this, my body has finally started to remember what it feels like to dance and I am doing quite well in the class. This has led to clear favoritism on his part towards me, which makes me equally uncomfortable. In years past, it was not uncommon for me to be used as an example to other dance students in my classes, but in those situations the other students were not being disrespected for not dancing as well as I was. At the beginning of this current class, I was not selected any more often than others to demonstrate, and this was quite fine with me. In my most recent class, the instructor chose to demonstrate with me EVERY TIME.
The disparity between how he treats me and how he treats some of the other students is uncomfortable and has not gone unnoticed by the class. Fortunately for me, the others in the class are genuinely nice people and are extremely kind and supportive of me, but
that only makes it worse when they are being picked on and I am not.
I feel like I am in a unique position to say something to the instructor, since I am already in his good graces and I am not on the victimized end of the power dynamic, but I also really don't want to stir up a big controversy if the others in the class would rather ignore it. On the one hand, they should speak up if they have a problem. On the other hand, they probably don't want to sound whiney or risk annoying him even more. I'm in an arguably more objective position and on the oppression side of the power dynamic, which puts me in a strong place to speak up.
Any thoughts? Suggestions? I know it's not just me who feels this way about the class dynamics.