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Speaking up?
I’m looking for some advice. I used to teach at a studio nearby, but the owner moved away and sold it to someone who wasn’t successful, but that’s another story for another day… Anyway, one of the students that used to go to the old studio opened her own, about 45 minutes from where the original studio was. She’s a very sweet woman who I like a lot and I wished her well with her plans. (She’s running it out of her home, so because of insurance she’s keeping it small and can’t bring on any teachers.)
She often posts pictures on Facebook of her students and what they’re working on. The problem is that she is being incredibly unsafe. The technique is completely wrong, and she’s teaching things to people who shouldn’t be learning them yet. She’s been teaching the butterfly in students’ first lesson, and the caption reads how proud she is of their accomplishment in an hour. These poor girls are not strong enough, and look so unsteady up there with horrible form. Also, she’s taking the picture, so they don’t seem to have a spotter. I could give more examples of unsafe things I’m seeing, but I think the butterfly is the best representation.
I’m having two issues with this. The first is that I’m so scared someone is going to get hurt very badly. I honestly believe it’s just a matter of time before something awful happens. The next is more selfish, but she used to take my class, so I’m concerned that my name may be attached to this studio and ruin my reputation.
She recently had a party at her studio which I went to. I poled and her students started asking me for advice and taking pictures and videos of me. I was also there with other teacher that taught at the old studio, and none of us have been asked back since.
Would you speak up about this? Like I said the woman is very sweet, but I don’t think she has a large arsenal of moves (I often see her posting the same 4 moves), and seems like she maybe doesn’t have anything else to teach, and doesn’t seem to understand the safe order of moves to build strength.
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5 Replies
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hard to say because its hard to know the info. even if these are the students first lessons with her, it may not be their first pole lesson? I dunno. and how do you know the students level of strength and experience? is she posting this information, do you know the students personally? Im 100% with you on this but i’m playing devil’s advocate to understand the situation. it’s sad that just anybody can teach pole and not have the knowledge to do so. I’d say speak up if you can, but I dont know who you can speak up to? her? Hopefully she is receptive of advice. I just dont know how a student is able to do a butterfly their first pole lesson. I could even do a pole sit for weeks. No way in hell was I able to invert and do a butterfly. Even if I wanted to and with a teacher coaching me through it. it would have been physically impossible. so how are they able to butterfly their first lessons? that is weird. and dangerous. i wonder if you can report her to BBB?
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Part of her caption will say things like “first time on a pole,”. The butterfly was in two pictures and the girls bodies were touching the pole and the leg was blurry, like it had been moving, with the bottom arm bent. She’ll post videos of girls doing inversions with their hands over their head, stepping, kicking and grabbing on with the soles of their feet.
Another example is when I was at her party. One of her students found me and said “the owner said you’d be able to help me with my handspring because she can’t figure out why it’s not working.” I asked her to show me, and it didn’t look like she was ready. She went into twisted grip and kicked her leg up about 2 feet off the floor, with the other only a few inches. I asked and she said she started poling 3 weeks ago. I asked about other fitness things that may help, and she said she just thought it was a fun way to get into shape and didn’t have any other background.
It’s scary stuff like the handspring that has me really worried. In retrospect, that would have been a better example than the butterfly!
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The butterfly is a good example too! But now it is clearer on the students level/ experience because she is posting things like that. I wonder ifBBB could do something .
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I know what you can do!! Just write a friendly message to her asking if she’s seen the new Veena method teacher course? Then you’ve done your part to kindly shower options of teaching safely!! Here’s the link https://www.studioveena.com/methods/letter
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Oh the typos lol Showing*
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