Some mornings I reflect on why I teach cotillion classes. Times have changed, and the some of manners and etiquette taught years ago no longer apply.
Then I remember, that during these crazy times, some stability and kindness go a long way towards the future.
Recently, I finished up our annual Danville Cotillion! I love teaching there. We hold our classes at the beautiful Danville Golf Club, and their ballroom is so lovely. We have only taught in Danville for a few years, and we are still growing in this location.
Our classes there are not as big as they are in other areas, usually around 60 - 70 students.
I watch as these children come to class, many not knowing anyone else in the class, and yet they are eager to meet new friends. They come from a variety of schools, have different hobbies and many different extra curricular activities. And yet, they are so kind and gentle with each other.
We teach the same curriculum here as we do everywhere - kindness, consideration, good manners and ballroom dance. Yet, this group is different. They just are!
As everyone knows, my favorite part of our classes is our refreshment time period for me this is an opportunity for my students to be social. After covid i wondered what this would look like - would being together again be different? My students never cease to amaze me, they jumped back in with unbelievable excitement. Yes, i give them some cues, but from there the conversations never stop during a 7 minute. each week. They love learning about each other and finding out what they have in common - whether it's toppings they like on pizza or other common ground like favorite colors, bands, baseball teams, etc. . I've had the luxury of teaching now for some 14 years and as you can imagine my students have grown and moved on and become amazing adults. Many of them come back and like to chat with me. One of the things they always mention it's the fellowship time with their friends. This is a time to learn, a time to mature, and a time to grow.
It is always my hope that the future looks bright. I believe this will be the case as I know the upcoming generations of students I teach are ready to take on the world.