Good
afternoon!
Today
it’s been very sunny and beautiful day but I started getting
allergy symptoms! I love spring but this is the only con of the
season: pollen! But not to worry, there’s always a solution for
everything and we should always see the bright side of this
situations!
Today
I’m coming with a topic that might be interesting for young dancers
out there: is it possible to finish your compulsory studies while
you’re doing full time ballet?
The
answer is yes, of course! And the best of all is that there’s no
time limit to study so you can always break apart the years to have
less subjects and be able to give your best at every one of them.
When I
was still living in Barcelona I was doing my high school studies in
the same building where I was training everyday. We would have four
hours of school from nine in the morning until half past one with a
break of half an hour and then we would start our ballet lessons at
three o’clock in the afternoon until eight in the evening or more
(depending if we had performances coming up or so).
How I wish my study desk looked like back in the days
Our
high school studies only reached the four mandatory years that must
be done by law but in Spain we also have two extra years that are the
equivalent to grade eleven and twelve in other high schools or also
called pre-college education years. They’re meant to prepare you
for a college entrance exam or to take a professional degree
education to achieve the profession you want to work in in the
future. Almost everyone goes into this two years as they give you a
bit more in depth knowledge in the branch you choose and it opens you
a lot more doors if you want to keep on study something else in the
future related to what you studied during this two years.
Because
the dance student is quite different than a normal teen not all high
schools allowed students to skip classes in order to go to the
conservatoire afterwards (same happened with exam dates or project
deadlines). The conservatoire had three different high schools that
had an agreement with and allowed dance students in but there were
still many problems with running from high school to ballet in the
subway and getting to class maybe ten minutes earlier which lead to
not having a proper warm up and getting injured easily.
When
the moment of choosing a center to study came I decided to talk to my
parents and ask them if I could try home schooling. My parents were
really supportive and they thought that it was a wonderful idea as I
could have mornings free to prepare myself for auditions,
competitions and so on. And it was the best decision I could’ve
ever made.
People
in my class thought I was crazy at first but they also said that me
being the nerd one I wasn’t going to have any trouble with
homeschooling. The best comments came from my teachers: «I don’t
think that’s a bright idea because you won’t be able to learn all
of the content that’s given in regular classes and your college
entrance exams are going to be so hard to prepare...»
Ejem,
ejem... On the first year I finished all of my text book contents
while my classmates that went to regular centers got stuck by half of
the book and when the college entrance exams came they needed to
learn for the first time many themes that their teachers had never
taught them before. Why does this happen?
When
you’re in a regular class you might have different levels and
different learning speeds as well and that’s totally fine! But the
problem is that depending on the teacher and the students that are in
a class the rhythm might be changed during the year in order to make
everyone learn every theme that’s treated and they might rush by
the end of the year because they’re missing some stuff.
Homeschooling
is exactly the same rhythm for absolutely everyone. That’s why some
people can make it and some others might need a tiny bit more time
and again: that’s completely fine!
In my
«class groups» I had people that were fifty years old or more
learning with me! I always saw that as a wonderful opportunity for
everyone and a proof that you’re never too old to learn.
So I
passed my first year and although it was a bit of an adventure,
because it was my first time home schooled, I think I did quite good.
All of my teachers were wonderful and they always tried to help me in
any way possible to make me finish as fast as I could while still
supervising that I did all the content I was meant to.
But
then it came the second year and moving to Germany came with it. I
decided to split that second year to still have great results without
leaving my education half way through. It was my own choice because
my parents told me I could leave it if I wanted to, if I felt it was
too much.
I must
clarify: my dad was the «pushiest» one in the study theme. He
always said to me that he wouldn’t allow me to keep dancing if I
wasn’t having a proper formal education and I wasn’t learning
what I needed to. He never asked me to be the A+ girl some parents
asked for, he always told me that he wanted to me to learn and keep
my mind active. My mum obviously also said that too and she was
always helping me in any way she could (she’s a great teacher so
she made it so easy for me) but she was the first one to tell me that
I could have a break if I felt I needed to.
I
decided to go for it and I chose to do three subjects on my first
semester and then I could choose four more on the next semester. But
that didn’t happen. I passed my first semester without any problem
but I was studying German as well as it’s compulsory on my Bachelor
studies here in Mannheim. I did my A2 degree in my first semester but
on the second one they told me I needed to do B1 and I decided to
fully dedicate myself to do German on that second semester and I
could come back to my Spanish school studies the next school year.
And so
I did! But then I chose to go all the way with my regular studies
because I really wanted to finish them so I chose six subjects on my
first semester and then the four remaining ones on my second
semester. And that got hectic!
Everyone
that was with me during that year knows that I was sleeping maybe
five hours some days because I was writing essays or studying for
tests but I decided to do it, no one forced me to get six subjects at
once!
But I
don’t regret it. I got a wonderful results in the end and I’ve
never enjoyed more school as I’ve during the pre-college years.
I’ve learned so much and I’ve build up a big interest in art
history and although I was always interested in art, the subjects of
art history and art foundations opened my mind and I learned to
really enjoy art works and even understand them better! I think my
teachers noticed that because every time I needed to analyze and art
piece they always told me that they could see me passionate about it.
My
tutor asked me if I was going to present myself to the college
entrance exams in May and I decided not to because in June I was
having my ballet exams and I preferred to really focus myself in
ballet. I thought of making them in September but then I imagined my
summer studying for September and I thought that I didn’t want to
have a depressing summer of studying for hours and not enjoying my
family and my city for a month vacation.
I still
haven’t taken that exam but it’s never too late! Once I take it,
I’ll always have the grade with me and I can keep it until I decide
to enter university or study a degree or whatever I want basically!
Because
I decided myself for the art branch during my pre-college education I
already have some subjects I can’t examine myself of such as maths,
science or economy but I was never especially good at them and I
always enjoyed more literature and art. Also, I do believe that these
subjects have a stronger connection to dance and it’s always good
to get inspiration and knowledge that might help improve creativity
and also a better understanding of classical pieces and its
characters.
All in
all, I think it’s more than possible for a full-time training
dancer to be able to finish their regular school education without a
problem. To make it work everyone needs to know their limits and not
be rushed! There’s always time and it’s better to take it slower
and really learn all contents rather than trying to rush it and then
forget absolutely everything you learned.
As I
said in my «50 things about me tag» I plan to study the art history
career sometime in the future. Of course I would do it by internet as
well and it might take much longer than it would take to a regular
person but I would be studying it because I really want to learn and
no one is forcing me to which I think its the optimal way to learn.
You must be motivated and if you really want to study, choose the
subjects that you know you’ll enjoy and you’re good at! Don’t
take subjects because they tell you they’re the best professional
option because they told me so many times that I should go for
science or economics based subjects... and I know I would have failed
and I would have been the most miserable student if I chose those
subjects. There’s no right or wrong, there’s only you and what
brings you joy!
I hope
you enjoyed this little educational post and if you’re ever
interested in knowing more about the education system in Spain, just
tell me down below and I’ll be happy to answer your call!
I hope
you have a lovely Monday evening and I’ll see you tomorrow!
Love,
Muriel
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