The Continuous Learning Mindset - Never Stop Growing

Here’s something that might shock you: the single most transformative thing I’ve learned in my 45+ year teaching career isn’t a technique or a correction or even a teaching method.

It’s this: A teacher must continually be learning, especially when teaching others.

I know, I know. Not revolutionary, right? But seriously, you’d be amazed how many teachers think their education ended when they got their last certificate or finished their last workshop.

My Education Never Stopped

My learning and curiosity didn’t end when I stopped performing or when I got my degrees. Every single day presents opportunities to deepen my understanding and get better at what I do.

This continuous learning mindset is what’s kept my teaching fresh and effective for over four decades. Without it, I’d probably still be giving those same tired “that’s how it’s always been done” answers from my early teaching days.

The Coffee Date That Changes Everything

Here’s my number one piece of advice: if someone is willing to share any part of their journey with you, consider it a gift. If you’ve had a special teacher who really impacted you, create a mentorship relationship and treat it like it’s sacred.

And here’s the practical part: if you ever have a chance to take someone like that out for coffee or lunch, DO IT. You pay. Always. Consider it tuition for the best education you’ll ever get.

The truth is, if you’re genuinely interested in someone’s expertise and journey, they’ll usually share freely. These conversations can be worth more than entire semester of courses.

Learning from Everywhere

Some of my most valuable insights have come from completely outside traditional ballet education. I’m constantly listening to podcasts, watching webinars, reading articles—and not necessarily in dance.

Sports science, educational psychology, business leadership, neuroscience—all of these fields have concepts that can transform how you teach ballet. The trick is staying curious and making connections between different areas of knowledge.

Your Students Are Teachers Too

Here’s something most teachers don’t think about: your students are remarkable teachers if you pay attention to them.

Watch them carefully. Ask questions to really understand what they’re experiencing. I once had a student confess to me, “You know, I didn’t really understand what you were telling me a few years ago.”

I just burst out laughing! But it was such a valuable reminder that communication is just as important as knowledge. Sometimes what we think we’re teaching in a clear manner isn’t landing the way we intended.

The Humility Factor

You have to take the work seriously, but not yourself. Accept that you’re not perfect, that you’re always evolving, and that there’s always room for improvement.

Here’s what builds real trust with students: when you don’t know an answer, say so. Then go find out. Your willingness to say “I don’t know, but I’ll find out” shows more integrity than pretending you know everything. And in the world of the internet, that has become easier to accomplish in record time.

Students can smell BS from a mile away, especially teenagers. They respect honesty way more than fake expertise.

When You Don’t Know, Don’t Guess

I cannot stress this enough: if a student asks you something about the body and you’re not sure, DO NOT make something up. I’ve witnessed well-known teachers explain muscle function in ways that are completely backwards from how the body actually works.

Your students are hungry for information, and they’ll believe what you tell them. If you give them wrong information, you’re not just misleading them—you’re potentially setting them up for injury or technique problems down the road. And if/when they pass down incorrect information to someone in the know, they will be embarrassed and even hurt that you led them down that path.

It’s so much better to say “That’s a great question, let me research that and get back to you” than to wing it and get it wrong.

The Responsibility of Teaching

Here’s the thing: if your students don’t succeed, it’s usually your responsibility to find another approach. Bad training is typically the teacher’s fault, not the student’s.

That might sound harsh, but it’s actually liberating. It means you have the power to change the outcome. If a student isn’t progressing, instead of assuming they’re not trying hard enough or don’t have talent, ask yourself: “How can I explain this differently? What approach haven’t I tried yet?”

The Sign of a Great Teacher

The mark of a great teacher isn’t knowing everything—it’s setting goals for students and then finding ways to help them achieve those goals. When they don’t reach those goals, your job is to find a different path, not to blame them for not getting there.

My Personal Learning Resources

Let me give you some concrete examples of how I keep learning:

From my brother-in-law the chiropractor (you remember him from earlier!), I constantly ask questions about biomechanics, injury prevention, and how the body actually works. He’s been an invaluable resource for understanding the science behind what we do.

From Dr. Kenneth Laws, I learned to see ballet through the lens of physics. That completely transformed how I understand and teach technique.

From my students, I learn what works and what doesn’t in real-time. They’re my laboratory for testing whether my teaching is actually effective.

From other fields entirely, I discover new ways to think about learning, motivating, and developing skills.

The Never-Ending Journey

The beautiful thing about committing to continuous learning is that it keeps you excited about teaching. There’s always something new to discover, some better way to explain a concept, some insight that will help your students progress faster.

When you stop learning, you start stagnating. When you stagnate, your teaching becomes stale. When your teaching becomes stale, your students suffer.

The Bottom Line

Great teaching isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about staying curious, being humble, and never losing that drive to get better at helping others learn.

The moment you think you know everything there is to know about teaching ballet is the moment you should probably find a different career.

Next week, we’ll talk about a distinction that can make or break your effectiveness as a teacher: the difference between actually teaching and just “giving class.”

What keeps YOU learning and growing? Have you found mentors who’ve made a real difference in your development? I’d love to hear about your continuous learning journey.

There’s the full article! Take your time reading through it.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​