4 year old might get kicked out of ballet
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Anonymous
| DD will be 4 in March. She has been taking ballet classes since she turned three at a place near our house. I don't think she gets a lot out if the class, but at this age I kind of figure it's meant more to encourage creativity and body awareness rather than teach them to dance. She doesn't practice at home, but I didn't think that was really necessary at this age since its not a real dance class. The class she is in is for 3 to 4.5 year olds. So the teacher after her class today said that she needs to start listening more or dd will not be able to attend the class anymore. I was really shocked because this was the first time anyone had mentioned anything to me, and the times I had watched the class from the door it didn't seem like her behavior was any different from the other girls. She goes to preschool/daycare and they have never said anything about her behavior being disruptive there. This wouldn't be a big deal but dd loves ballet-- she loves dressing up and the specialness of taking classes. That and I already signed her up for the next session and they won't give me a refund. Is this normal? It's a 45 minute class, am I unreasonable for thinking that short of a child being dangerous it is weird to kick a child out of what is not really a structured class anyways? |
Anonymous
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If they are kicking her out they need to give you your money back.
Did you pay with a credit card? If so, file a chargeback w your cc company. Ballet studio cannot charge you for services not received. |
Anonymous
| Specifically what is she doing that will get her kicked out? How can one fix something if they don't know what's wrong in the first place? And if it is just that she doesn't practice, maybe you and the teacher have different ideas of what the class should be about -- her, serious and about teaching dance, you and DD, fun and having fun. If it's a difference of approach, find another place that is a better fit. And I don't see how they can keep the money you paid in advance since if they kick DD out, they are getting paid for services not rendered. GL. |
Anonymous
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I think the concerning part of your post is your last line. That only dangerous behavior is problematic. That makes it sound like you are very very liberal in what you consider to be acceptable behavior and her behavior may very well be very disruptive to the class without being difficult.
Does she do as she is asked to do? What does the teacher say the problem is? The teacher is used to teaching 3-4.5 yr olds so she is seeing something in your child's behavior that is making her stand out from the behavior of other kids her age. |
Anonymous
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Hmmm .... I think they need to explain what exactly she is doing that leads them to conclude that they need to kick her out.
Regardless of the reason, however, they need to give you your money back for the next session. |
Anonymous
Yes, you are unreasonable for thinking that. My son took a class where every single class, he would roll up on a ball on the floor and refuse to participate. It was distracting the other kids and causing some of them to copy him and do it as well. Talking to him about it didn't change it. I spoke with the teacher and we jointly agreed he should no longer do the class. He wasn't being dangerous, but it was definitely distracting for everyone else. If I hadn't jointly agreed with the teacher, she probably would have kicked him out, and appropriately so. |
Anonymous
| Op here. The teacher said that DD doesn't listen and doesn't follow directions. This is a new teacher, she started a few weeks ago. The teachers before always emphasized that at this age it's more about them enjoying themselves than anything else. I kind of feel like if its not about having fun what's the point at her age. |
Anonymous
Ok, well in part that is true, but the thing is that if listening and following the class most of the time is not fun for her, then maybe it is not the right class for her. I do think age 4 is the threshold where classes like that expect kids to be able to listen and follow along a bit more - not one hundred percent of the time, of course, but more than 50 percent. |
Anonymous
| I would observe the class and if she isn't listening the teacher has a point. Then you need to work on your kid listening. She should be able to listen to a teacher for 45 min at this age. You talk to your kid and tell her that she will have to stop taking dance if she can't listen and be respectful of her classmates. Just observe first and see if the teacher has a point. |
Anonymous
| I got kicked out of ballet when I was 5. Best thing that ever happened to me, that sh*t was just boring. |
Anonymous
Op here, I would agree in that case. But I don't think she's doing that, they have monitors so I watch portions of the class and Dd is clearly participating. She may not be standing on her spot exactly or she might be jumping when waiting in line, but it doesn't look like her behavior is any worse than the other girls in the class. I haven't been watching that closely since the new teacher started, but I can't imagine it being that much worse than it was a month ago with her previous teacher. |
Anonymous
Me too. I ran into the boy's bathroom to keep the teacher from getting me as she chased me down the hall. |
Anonymous
Maybe since she is new she has you confused with another parent. I got a call from camp once informing me my kid had broken something and was relieved by the end of the message to hear the name of the kid -- not mine. |
Anonymous
| Well, i would wait a bit more and see how it goes. Regardless of whether your child's behavior is right or wrong, sounds like this teacher and this class are not a good fit for her. So if things don't improve, I'd press to get your money back and try a different class. |
Anonymous
Sounds like this was a good thing for you. |