I’ve noticed that female Alexander teachers seem to outnumber males by about two to one.
The organizational Alexander world seems particularly full of estrogen
and tends to run along the lines that women do things (democratic
decision making, trying to make everyone feel safe, supporting and
nurturing each other, sharing feelings, non-violent communication,
etc).
So how do the male Alexander teachers react? Those who are more used to violent communication. Do they chafe? Do they feel like they
surrendered their balls when they went Alexander? I suspect that many
male teachers are more comfortable with hierarchical arrangements
rather than nurturing collegial ones. Do they carve out their own
niches where they can be king? Robert Rickover has his online kingdom.
I have my blog. Joe Boland has Yosemite. We’ll always have Paris.
With my female students and my more sensitive male students, my
primary concern in a lesson is to make them feel safe and supported.
With my more manly students, my primary concern is to make learning
the Technique an adventure.
