The Plight of the Teaching Artist

My September was nutso. I have generally come to the realization that I am doing entirely too much all at the same time and it’s really not humanly possible – or maybe it is? – but only if I carefully schedule out every minute of every day. Remember Clare? Yeah, my life is something like that. I had three major events happen last month one week after another including a performance of my work in progress, a talk at a conference on Feminist Scholarship and Action, and my best friend’s wedding. To top it all off, the new school year started and while I resumed my work as Queen of the Dance at the YMCA, I also began a new part-time teaching job at an arts high school in the Bronx.

Let me say this: Praise God for my new job! It is a welcome change, challenge and pay check. Things I love about it include the fact that I get to teach technique and theory, and to people who are generally 5 foot or taller. While I love my babies, it’s a satisfying change of pace to stretch without asking, “What color are your butterfly wings?”

What I wasn’t exactly expecting though, was the intense amount of lesson planning that I would have to submit for approval, multiple staff meetings and other responsibilities outside of the classroom. Silly me? Perhaps.


As a teaching artist, I am equal parts teacher and artist — it is the artist side of me that enriches the knowledge I have to give to my students. Continue Reading...