THE TEACHING PHILOSOPHY OF BRIDGIT DECARLO THE DANCE When you wal k down t he halls of a school, i magine you

are actuall y wal king down the halls of an acti ve art gallery with countless exhibits. As you peer into each room, you see scul ptors, painters and glass blowers of all kinds perfor mi ng their craft. They all look different, however, each equally creati ve. When you arri ve at my room, you will find me modeling my choreography, the dance. Teaching for me characterizes true creati ve expres sion in the for m of dance. This artistic intonation embodies the essential qualities and foundations of teac hing; what I provi de st udents and with what I leave them. Dance encompasses a beautiful outward expr ession of an inward feeling an d stor y. When I teach, I express this love and care for those obser ving by connecting with them through the stories and ar guments of history , which exemplifies and brings the passions within me alive. This tender connection encourages and challenges students to take the risk of expressing themsel ves and telling their stories through their own cr eative outlet in my classroom. Dance is not merel y cr eated to be watched, but rather to be done, and not j ust done by the professional, but rather by everyone who loves dance. Additionall y, the choreographer must utilize different body t ype s, and gifts for a dance pi ece to truly come together. Therefore, e ver yone is celebrated because everyones gifts bring something different to the piece. The same is true about my classroom; ever yone has an integral, creative part in the perfor mance to make the classroom community and learni ng process what it is. The dance or the classroom is not the same without ever yone doing their part. Dance inspires passion. Watching a dance performance should inspire those obser ving t o do the same to get up and dance themsel ves. As a teacher, I have a passion for investigati ng historical problems and questions . I want to inspire my students wi th a true appreciation for hist ory and investi gating it j ust as watching So You Think You Can Dance leaves viewers inspired to dance the night away. To truly own, or have security and confidence in the craft of dance requires sweat, tears sacrifice and discipline. Learning requires the same, not j ust education, but also charact er. I do not expect my students to be experienced scholars or fully mature adults , but I do expect them to reach a level at which they will ow n their education and actions, and I promise to help them get there. I want them to be in charge of their education, character and self t o know when they need to study longer, re-desi gn a historical argument, ask for help , apologi ze when needed, and practice self control. Mastering anything in life dance or scholarshi p is meaningless without having character. As dance teaches discipline, my history classroom will teach character through investi gation of historical characters and practice. Dance is j ust as demanding, beautiful and creative as teaching. I love them both because they influence people and touch peoples hearts f orever. Dance and teaching are m y passion s and I am lucky to have the opportunity to perform them both since they provide people with love, stories, care, safety, inspirati on, challenge and enco uragem ent.