Where do I start? Where do I want to put my focus? What do I do on a daily basis that I can incorporate?
Using these questions, as well as reflecting on my blog and my previous research, I have fallen upon key words, strands of thought and resulting ideas that I would like to elaborate on. As I am not in full-time work I found some of the questions posed in Task 2d from Reader 2 (you will see these below), rather difficult to answer as I do not have a set daily routine of working in the same environment with the same people. I spend some days studying at the Middlesex University campus, I spend others studying at home, I work 2-3 days in Selfridges and I have my steady Saturday job at English National Ballet School (ENBS) on their Juniors programme. My week consists of such a mixture of activities and experiences that it is challenging to just focus on one of them and put my energy into writing an inquiry about themes that are relatable to one specific thing.
However when I started to think of the bigger picture, rather than focusing on having to write about one specific area of professional practice that I encounter during my week; I noticed themes that caught my attention and made me think in greater depth about what interests me and how I can use it moving forwards.
I have answered the following questions in a way that best suits the direction in which I wish to go with my inquiry. My answers may not be straight forward and may not reflect a particular area of my professional practice, but they do contain areas of significance to me.
1. What in your daily practice gets you really enthusiastic to find out more about? Who do you admire who also works with what makes you enthusiastic?
The Law makes me very enthusiastic. I am currently studying and working through a fast track A Level in Law which requires me to study, through distance learning, 4 modules with 4 exams to be taken next summer. The only way I find the motivation to study something as in-depth and intricate as this, and all off my own back, is because of my sincere interest in this area of our society. It is something that I want to pursue in the future once I have, with hope and hard work, completed the BAPP programme. It is something I make an effort to do each day, or as often as I can when I am working, and I have been thinking long and hard about how I can incorporate it into my line of inquiry. It is something that I feel proud of doing and I look forward to that sense of accomplishment as I progress with it in the future.
It is difficult to pin point someone who makes me enthusiastic in this area as, at the moment, it is very much something that I am doing alone. I can only think of the inspiration and the drive that my friends and family build up around me. They inspire me to want to work hard at something that makes me happy and makes me feel like I am achieving something for myself. Aside from this, I do wholly admire those individuals who want to go into a prestigious subject, such as Law, who have not necessarily been down the traditional education route. My path has been a interesting one to say the least. Training to become a professional ballet dancer for years to then decide to pursue something completely different without all of the traditional qualifications behind me is an unusual one. But it is a completely reachable goal, especially if you look at all of the other options out there that can allow you to fulfill your aspirations. It makes something that seems impossible in the moment, to becoming totally possible if you put your mind to it and expect some testing times along the way.
2. What gets you angry or makes you sad? Who do you admire who shares your feelings or has found a way to work around the sadness or anger?
Anger and sadness. Feelings of mine that can surface if I am stressed, tired, feeling disorganised or behind in something, or having a bad experience with a customer at work. This sounds like an extensive list of things that can make me angry or sad but, being openly honest, it is not often that I do get angry or particularly sad. I like to think optimistically; a cup half full not half empty type of girl. It is in those times when we do feel those emotions bubbling up inside, that it is good to take a moment to yourself; to rest, to regroup, to put a positive spin on whatever experiences you have had or are having.
During my work on a Saturday, I assist in teaching 8 ballet classes with a wonderful teacher who takes charge and leads the structure and content of the classes. It is this individual who inspires me in times when my patience may be running thin or I am becoming worried about the progression of the children reflecting poorly on the teachers. She reminds me that there is only so much we can do and that as long as we are trying our best to engage with the children, to push them just hard enough and to introduce to them all the necessary ballet vocabulary for their age, then we are fulfilling our roles.
3. What do you love about what you do? Who do you admire who also seems to love this or is an example of what you love?
There are many things that I love about what I do depending on what area of my life I choose to focus on.
With Law Study I love...
- the level of academic content
- having quiet study time
- accomplishing something for myself that will help to point me in the right direction for what I desire in the future
- learning something new all the time
- grasping such an essential area of our society
- imagining making a difference with it in the future
With Selfridges I love...
- having friendly and welcoming colleagues
- meeting new people everyday
- building on my people skills (customer service)
- working in such a luxurious environment
With ENBS Juniors I love...
- being involved with ballet as an art form
- assisting children in learning and progressing in ballet
- having a wonderful teacher and pianist to work with
- training potential dancer's of the future
This is definitely a shortened version of what I love about my professional practice! It is so thrilling to be part of a university and experience student life as well as being able to interact with so many people at Selfridges, and teach children the art form that I love the most on a weekly basis at ENBS.
I am privileged to be able to work with so many inspirational, hard working and enthusiastic people each and every week, no matter what field they are in. I admire my friends at university for all the hard work and love they put into their own areas of study; I admire the talented make-up artists, fashionistas and salespeople I meet at Selfridges; and I admire the dedication and determination to strive for excellence amongst those I work with at ENBS.
4. What do you feel you don't understand? Who do you admire who does seem to understand it or who has found a way of making not understanding it interesting or beautiful, or has asked the same questions as you?
I sometimes cannot understand how, when in such a prestigious and inspiring environment, some (not many) of the children that I teach ballet to give the impression that they do not wish to participate. When I was their age, I would have given anything to have taken weekly classes at English National Ballet School and to be amongst the students who are training at a professional level. Really how many 4 year olds can say that they learn ballet at one of the most renowned places of classical training. Yet the odd few still choose to be unresponsive and uncommitted to their ballet class, even though it takes up no more than an hour of their week.
I must highlight however that the majority of the children are excited to be there and probably feel very lucky to be given the opportunity to learn ballet in a place that they are inspired by and in awe of. I regularly have parents approach me and comment on how much their child loves ballet, how it is the highlight of their week and how they cannot wait to get into the studio to learn. I do see these features in many of the children, but it is always upsetting to me to see those who maybe do not want to be there and are not prepared to give full effort. I do of course understand that ballet is not for everyone, some will find it more of a challenge than others and yes, maybe they do not truly want to take part. But to a teacher this is a difficult thing to work with as you have to remain as enthusiastic and as encouraging as possible, even if you observe poor effort from the minority.
I have had discussions surrounding this basis with my colleague at English National Ballet School who teaches alongside me. She often feels as frustrated as I do in these situations and cannot understand why the children do not always want to be fully determined to work hard. But she has found a way of putting a positive spin on these issues looking at the fact that we do the best that we can, and it is up to the children to then meet us half way and want to engage with us. She always manages to remain a positive, energetic and committed teacher turning, what can be very negative questions into something quite beautiful.
5. How do you decide the appropriate ethical response in a given situation? To what extent are disciplinary responses different to what you might expect more generally in society? For example, what level of physical contact would you deem appropriate (and not) from another professional that you would find unacceptable more generally? Why?
The area in which I am required to think the most about appropriate ethical responses is when I am working with children at English National Ballet School. During the ballet classes, it is important to maintain a sense of discipline for the children to respond to yet at the same time, you have to make learning fun and engaging so as not to make the children feel worried or negative about what they are doing.
The children that I work with are very young and therefore; at an age when they are easily so influenced; it is important to build their confidence rather than allowing the stricter elements of learning ballet to take over. For me it is all about finding a balance between being firm to make sure that they behave appropriately, whilst simultaneously creating a lively and enjoyable environment. It is about earning the respect from your students and expecting them to be quiet when told or to concentrate and focus on what you have asked of them. Again, due to their age, they can get easily distracted and so it is a constant battle with their minds to keep them responding fully to what exercises you are setting during class.
Working with an age range of 3 to 11 year olds, you have to gage what each group of children will respond to the best. With some classes I have noticed that you need to be much firmer giving possible sanctions for misbehavior such as sitting out and not participating or, in more extreme cases, being sent out if the disruption is affecting the other children too severely. On the other side of this, certain groups of children need constant positive feedback and encouragement in order to motivate themselves during class. I on the whole believe that it is essential to be an encouraging and positive teacher otherwise you run the risk of mentally affecting your students in a counter-productive way making them feel defeated and inadequate. Of course you must maintain and aura of discipline and respect, but do it in a way that actually makes the children want to respect you rather than fear or dislike you.
Within the ballet profession, it is completely normal to have physical contact between a teacher and a student in order to correct the body sufficiently and allow it to respond in the right way. Therefore, in a dance environment, you would not be shocked to see a teacher physically touching their student (in an appropriate way) with the purpose of correcting them. Yet in most other professions, meaning external to the dance and even the sporting arena, it would be far more inappropriate to have physical contact with a student or a colleague. Society views physical contact in an environment such as in an office or a school, to be highly unsuitable and unprofessional. I must admit that if I was to witness, for example, a teacher in a high school touching another student in a way similar to what ballet training requires, I would be shocked, disturbed and tempted to report them. How fascinating it is to notice that, across the spectrum of different types of training and education, physical contact is such a sensitive subject matter that can be perceived as being immensely inappropriate if done in a certain environment.
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Now that these questions have been answered, I want to specifically hone in on what I want my inquiry to be based around. Scanning through my previous blogs, I found terms which, when broken down, helped me to arrive at destinations from which I feel I could develop an inquiry of great interest to me. The terms are as follows:
CHANGE: because I have recently experience colossal life changes with regards to what my future may hold and the path that I have chosen to pursue
AGENCY: because I am acting independently and making my own choices therefore setting change in motion
PASSION: because it motivates and drives me everyday to carry on working hard and achieve my goals
DEVELOPMENT: because I feel I have developed mentally and now use successful methods of reflection to oversee my development
From these terms I then thought:
How can I further change my own life and potentially change others' lives in the future, doing something that I am passionate about which will exercise my agency and fuel my development?
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Afterthought...
An aspiration of mine is to study and finally practice Law. I find, and have always found it, a fascinating subject with such a diverse range of areas to be practiced. As a subject of study it requires patience, hard work, a sharp, logical mind and definitely someone who enjoys reading. Additional to this, confidence, self assurance, determination, a handful of grit and a love of researching, presenting evidence and doing what's best for whoever you are representing collectively make a great lawyer.
You're probably wondering how this is relevant to the BAPP Programme but I guess the idea is that we can find interest in, research and pursue whatever we like so long as we can relate it to professional practice.
To me, practicing Law doesn't have to be all about paperwork, reading, writing and becoming a slave to the office. Although this is of course involved to a certain degree, I like to think of it as a profession that gives you the power to help people, change minds, alter opinions and allow the justice system to evolve.
I often imagine the courtroom to be a sort of stage, a forum within which, when it is time for you to present your case, all eyes are on you and whatever you say and do holds much responsibility and meaning to whoever is involved. Many of us throughout of lives have had to perform in front of an audience be it through singing, dancing, acting etc. Well I like to argue that representing someone in court is similar to this. You have to be confident, speak publicly, argue, fight and put on a show. Although this time the show is not scripted, choreographed, rehearsed, performed then its time to go home. No! It is real life, real people and their futures are involved; that just makes it all the more thrilling!
Now that I have expressed my enthusiasm for this incredible industry I'd like to talk about my own, although at present limited experience, in this area. Earlier this year and as a resident of the Big Smoke, I took myself off to the Old Bailey, London's Central Criminal Court just northwest of St. Paul's Cathedral. Rebuilt in 1673 following the Great Fire of London less than 10 years before, it is a grand, intimidating piece of architecture within which thousands of people create a hub of intense activity on a daily basis.
I went through security checks and was instantly dazzled by the architectural beauty and magnificence of the buildings décor. The ceiling reached an amazing height, there were long corridors everywhere with imposing wooden doorways and regular signs pointing you in the direction of the many courtrooms. So being the curious person that I am, I went exploring around the huge site, eager to absorb all of the fascinating history within its walls. Eventually I found a courtroom with a trial in session. I quietly slipped inside and sat myself down in the public gallery. Wow! It was the first time I had ever experienced such an environment and I cannot deny how much it inspired me to pursue Law. I really do hope to go again soon and add to my experiences of this captivating world.
I have been thinking fiercely about how I can relate this fundamental element of our society to my final inquiry. Within this vast subject I have chosen to focus on how artistes, no matter what area of the arts or entertainment profession that they are in, are represented in our society. How do they go about ensuring that they receive the correct pay; a fair contract; equal treatment; a good standard of living; avoid exploitation; have mental and physical health care etc. I want to look at the legal side of an artistes profession and what goes in to ensuring that they have secure employment and sufficient legal representation if needs be. By choosing this subject, I am incorporating change, agency, passion and development; themes which I was originally inspired by and have used to evolve my ideas.
I have lots to think about and research here; let me know what you think!
Lil' Blogger
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