When the last bell rings, and the school day is over – what do teachers do? Sometimes it’s hard to think of our teachers as people outside the classroom. Today after school, a group of seven teachers took a break from teaching and gathered in the cafeteria to learn something new: Scottish dance.
The teacher instructing these dance sessions was Marguerite Edwards, a new exchange teacher from Scotland. She has been in the U.S. since July, and started teaching as an English teacher at AHS in September. “I came over with the Fulbright Classroom Teacher Exchange program. I’ll be teaching here for a year,” Edwards said.
Edwards mentioned that these Scottish dance sessions are open to students as well as teachers. Anyone who is interested in learning about a different culture should come to see what it’s like.
Edwards started off the session by giving a walk through demonstration of a common Scottish dance called the “Gay Gardens”. This lively dance is done in pairs of two, with a male and a female part. Deciding which partner would take on the masculine role was difficult, due to the fact that all seven teacher participants were women.
“The ‘Gay Gardens’ dance is an excellent ice-breaker to start off the evening. It’s the dance that everyone will be familiar with at social gatherings,” Edwards said.
As six teachers practiced the dance in their pairs, the seventh teacher, Anne Perry, controlled the music. “With a program like this, it’s important that we exchange culture as well as teaching expertise,” Perry said.
The next dance the teachers learned was called the “Dashing White Sergeant,” followed by the “Canadian Barn Dance.” Edwards pointed out that the name of the “Canadian Barn Dance” is misleading, since the dance has nothing to do with Canada or barns. This dance is also done in couples, and it’s fast-paced. “The Canadian Barn Dance” is also ideal for social gatherings, because it mixes people together by allowing for various dance partners.
After the dancing was over, teachers socialized and compared their experiences. “I did three years of jazz dance in high school, which has made Scottish dance easier,” English teacher Meg Jarrell said. “It’s great that we get this time to be social and that [Edwards] gets the chance to share her home with us. You don’t get to know much about a person from a 30 minute lunch break,” Jarrell said.
“I just came to have some fun, even though I don’t have much dance experience.” scial studies teacher Lindsay Zurawski said. “By attending these Scottish dance sessions, you can expand your horizons and try something completely new. It’s a great opportunity to experience Scottish culture.”
