nicely put, tina! i couldn't agree more.
for my part, on the "isn't that interesting" front, i've noticed that there are
many callers in my circle who are (or have been) various sorts of
educator/teachers and/or are first-born children. both of these loose
associations seem pretty logical -- as has been pointed out, good calling
involves good teaching while managing groups of people, often of varying skill
levels, effectively enough to ensure a positive experience for the greatest
number. and eldest children often have spent years practicing orchestrating &
leading, and are "quite-comfortable-telling-others-what-to-do-next". as tina
points out, it's just an observation, sort of like observing that there are
lots of math/engineering professionals attending modern urban contradances.
ah, which brings me to another association - many callers are prone to
observing, noticing patterns and making guesses about why those patterns might
be occurring. hah! :-)
chrissy fowler
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~http://www.belfastflyingshoes.org home 207-338-0979 cell
603-498-3506> > > Message: 2> Date: Sun, 11 May 2008 12:26:22 -0700 (PDT)>
From: Tina Fields <[email protected]>> Subject: Re: [Callers] Callers with
higher degrees> > Greg makes a very important point here. The 'elitism'> factor
really never occurred to me when asking this> question; it really came out of
surprised curiosity. Like> many of us, I'm just interested in weird phenomena.
There> aren't that many Ph.Ds/MDs/JDs etc. in the country, and> it's wild to
see how many wind up calling too. > > My dad was a brilliant square dance
caller, and he had a> junior-high education. I'm the first one in my family to>
even get through high school; the relatives were worried> that "that much
education might ruin yer girl." And I> could not agree with Greg more. As a
college teacher,> artist-in-residence with kids, and outdoor leader alike,>
I've noticed that the best teaching is really a form of> servant leadership or
midwife education rather than egoic> performance; that is, the 'guide on the
side', not the> 'sage on the stage.' This is, of course, exactly Greg's> point
about good calling. > > One of the reasons I find calling so compelling is the>
challenge of making sure everyone - band, dancers, sound> person, dance manager
- all are having a good time, feeling> confident, appreciated, and in sync; all
the while not> screwing any of it up myself. (As a newish caller, that> last
bit is the tricky part.) Callers have to focus> effectively on many parts at
the same time to create one> cohesive, joyful whole -- talk about a humbling
meditation> practice! > > If I offended anyone inadvertently, please take this
as a> sincere apology. The question comes out of curiosity, not> snobbishness.>
> Tina> >
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