Spectrum article: Summer 2008

Angie Punaks, BWY Ethics, Equity & Welfare Manager writes:

GOOD FENCES MAKE GOOD NEIGHBOURS

I’m pleased that my last article in Spring Spectrum created quite a response from you, and I am grateful to those of you who contacted me. The many discussions that I had with individual teachers reminded me - as a yoga teacher myself - how useful such clarification can be in developing confidence when in the class environment.

The guidelines of the BWY CP Policy are intended to support and not to restrict you, so I have been reassured by the many teachers who have expressed gratitude for this positive effect of the policy and procedures. The ‘safety net’ of the policy is there for both pupils and teachers - and safety nets, used sensibly, can enhance our performance when we feel secure in what we are doing. Just as in the poem that states "good fences make good neighbours", knowing where our boundaries are in the classroom and with our students generally makes for clearer and more confident teaching.

Sadly not all organisations or teaching environments think in this way, so quite a number of the queries, worries and problems that I receive are from teachers who are dealing with schools or leisure centres, some of whom give little thought to eliminating potential problems or conflicts, or who give inadequate information to part-time or visiting teachers. If you think you might be in such a situation, please feel free to contact me - and perhaps have a glance at the checklist I produced in the Winter edition of Spectrum.

Teaching Children/Young Persons: Teacher/Student Ratio
The BWY Children’s Module teacher/young person ratio recommendation, supported by the NSPCC, is:

• for under 8 year olds 1:8
• for over 8 year olds 1:10
  with at least one adult present in an official capacity for both age-ranges.

Information on Ratio can be downloaded from the website. Contact me if you require a printed version.

Partner Work - Under 18’s in an Adult Class
If you use partner-yoga in your teaching it is advisable that an under 18-year attending an adult class partners with their parent or adult in loco parentis.

Ethical Teaching - Resource Material
An excellent book that has recently come to my attention is "Teaching Yoga - Exploring the Teacher-Student Relationship" by Donna Farhi. The ethical issues presented are by no means exhaustive but provide principles on which the yoga teacher can address topics such as class sizes, class charges, the differing roles of the yoga teacher and their implication in the teacher/student relationship. As the author says "only the ethical are encumbered by ethics"; as yoga teachers we are all concerned with ethics through the guidance of the yamas and niyamas which provide a starting point to act in a fair and just manner towards both our students and, equally important, ourselves. This book helps to put the yamas and niyamas into the context of teaching. It is a useful resource, not only for Diploma Tutors, but for all teachers. Please read Michael Hutchinson’s review in Spectrum.

As always please contact me if I can be of any help re CP, Ethics and/or Equity either by email or telephone. Should I not be available when you ring, leave your contact details and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

Finally, please note my new email address:

Angie Punaks - BWY Ethics, Equity & Welfare Manager
Tel: 01394 446054 email: