Right next to the often stereotyped “pushy dance moms” are the hovering parents. They’re harder to handle than disagreeable parents because they aren’t really doing anything wrong. However, students will often be nervous or intimidated if they know their parents (or someone else’s) are watching from the doorway. Here are a few tips for dealing with helicopter parents without stepping on anyone’s toes.
Prove You Can Handle Student Woes
Many hovering parents are driven by the fear that in a large class, the needs of their child will be overlooked. You can’t blame parents for worrying, and the best way to ameliorate these concerns is to show that you can handle whatever crises arise.
A blogger on Washington Parent said that he was taken aback when the dance teacher banned parents from the studio on the first day of class. The dancers were only 3 years old, and he had planned to hover to make sure his daughter wasn’t scared or nervous. However, the teacher immediately took charge, got the class in order and proved to parents there was nothing to worry about.
The students, as young as they were, were given their first taste of independence and it helped to build their confidence. If parents see their children are in capable hands, it will help them to stop worrying and hopefully stop hovering.
Implement A No-Cellphone Rule
Another good approach for dealing with helicopter parents is to ban cellphones from your dance studios. You can even ban them from the building. This will keep parents from sneaking in to snap photos or videos.
OC Family explained that when kids think they’re on camera, it adds even more pressure and makes them nervous. So keep the phones out of the studio! Banning them from the building will minimize distractions in the texting and phone calls in the waiting room and hopefully encourage parents to get to know one another.
Create Hover-Friendly Opportunities
Some studios use one-way mirrors or closed-circuit video feeds to allow parents to watch, without disturbing the dancers inside. Sometimes, however, even knowing that people are outside watching can affect a dancer’s mindset as they learn. If this is the case for your students, and all else fails (or if you are dealing with a “lawnmower parent“), get creative with your studio policies.
One idea for dealing with helicopter parents who tend to peek into the classroom is to designate one class per week where parents are allowed to watch. Set aside the last 15 or 20 minutes of class and have your dancers showcase what they’ve learned for the parents. For novice dancers, this is a great way to get comfortable performing in front of a crowd.
Outside of the set class, remain firm on your no-parents rule. That means no standing in the doorway and no peeking through the glass. Enforce your rules and make sure your instructors do too.
