Are grande plies worth the trouble?

I just spent an entire day watching beginners do grand plies... needless to say, it was ugly.

I spent over a week correcting their demi plies. Transfer of knowledge? In all our dreams fellow teachers...the minute it went past the point of comfortable it became something different entirely.

One problem is evident-- if you ask them to do a port de bras with a plie...it is over. The bottom goes back and the ribs shoot forward and they suddenly plummet to the depth of the plie with the wild abandonment that only a group of 14 year olds can muster. They have no idea what their knees will feel like when they are 45 and have been doing these moves regularly for twice as long as most of their of their teen idols have been alive.

and the ascent... Oh help us all... What happened to the dignified ladies standing at the ballet barre? Gone the minute they recognize the drop move and its potential video vixen movement -- they suddenly slam the knees forward and rooooolllllll on up with more articulation in their spine than I will ever get from them in modern class.

I don't know why I worry...about their knees or their dreadful grand plies. It isn't likely that any of them are going to decide tomorrow to be prima ballerinas. Its more likely their dancing will remain "recreational" for the rest of their lives.

Still I worry, what if they tell someone I was the one who taught them to do those deep knee bends like that? I guess it might just be an opportunity to change my image.