Who is happy when Monday morning arrives and we need to go to work? Let's see, hands up who wants to give a positive answer? Well, I see, there are not many of these people. And what about the kids, do they like Monday mornings when they need to go to school? Neither? Of course, there are always exceptions, both in the group of people that go to work and children that go to school. If we just think about the purpose of the school, to learn something, to obtain new knowledge, every child should be happy to attend the lessons. Somehow, we are missing the point, or the school system has failed a bit, as the general feeling towards sitting in the lesson is not so positive.
Reading from my username, even if you have never read any of my posts, you can conclude that I have some connection to the musical instrument, piano. It is correct, the piano is a part of my life. Also, as a side effect of that love for the black and white keys, I became a pianist and piano teacher. At least, it is what my university diploma says, a Graduated Musician - Pianist & Piano Teacher. That is how everything started, with the love for that instrument. Already in one of the first lessons, I knew what I wanted to dedicate my life to. Maybe the sound of the piano, or the fact that I can produce those sounds pressing the keys, made me so sure back in time. Or, maybe my piano teacher was so nice, probably it also affected my decision. So, that happened in a lesson, in a music school. Yes, some loved to go to school, at least to the music school.
One of my teaching desks
Learning to play an instrument has many beneficial effects. We all could easily name several of them... for example, the most known is that it stimulates the brain. Well, at least some of the functions, like the memory (here I raise my hand and confirm this) and abstract reasoning skills (here too). The social life can improve, as playing in an orchestra or a school band, a child can make more friends. Well, this social factor can not be applied to pianists, we are more solitary ones. A sense of achievement can be listed as a good side of learning music too, building more self-confidence. I am not at the moment in this phase, somehow that feeling went down lately, and I am aware I have to work on it. Talk to my head. As, what a good teacher does? It talks to its students, not just giving knowledge and skills, but also motivates, elevates the moods, and gives confidence to students. I have to be a teacher to myself too.
Going back to the beginning of this post, and the fact that today is Monday. The first teaching day in my work week. Naturally, I like weekends, holidays, free days and all the days where I dont have to go to teach, but maybe going to work at a music school is not so bad. It has many challenges, for sure, sometimes it is bringing some stress, but in general, I love what I do. I give piano knowledge, I give tactics how to learn, how to build patience, how to work out some skills that a child can use later in other fields too. I give loving words, a caring attitude, I accept all the imperfections and perfections, forgive the non-practicing days of the students but try to get them to be more productive. I love to play with them, as that is how we should do many things in our personal life too, to play! Ok, that is how a perfect lesson looks like, though, there are days when it is the opposite. When I do not have so many nerves, and where the students do not have so much desire to learn, but it is all a part of a process. Learning process. We will see which option will be the dominant today when I start to give my lessons.
So, how about your Monday fellow teachers? Are you already teaching today or just preparing yourself to go to have that experience?
If I understood well, you are a teacher @beesparkle? Look, here is a teacher lounge, that I discovered a few days ago while checking out the blog of @pusen, a teacher that created this community. @edprivat, I know, you told me you are not teaching right now, but, I think you could give your two cents on the teaching topic. Many of those teaching moments can be brought here, so why not? I dont know many other teachers at the moment here in hive, but if I find out, I will let them know about the existence of this small community :)
Well, I was happy to find this place, I think more than once we should hang out here. We all need some tips, moral support, rants, or simply share our experience or a certain day, lesson, interaction with a student... And, if we share it while having a cup of coffee, it will be an absolute pleasure to be around.
Here is where I escape to buy myself a cup of that life-meaning-liquid-for teachers! Coffee :)