Thoughts About the Year and Things to Come

Summer Goal?

My friend and colleague Suzanne Greer writes a blog.  Here is a link to her entry this week: "Create Your Vision".  I really liked the entry. I also really respect her goals. I was already thinking about my goals and progress from this last school year and the summer and year to come, but her ideas are validating.

This school year was a little different. I thought I would be so relaxed after my summer off, but the construction and the hail storm, the roof debacle, and the stuff with my kidney kinda had me behind the eight ball for quite a while. Then came the long winter which hit me harder than I realized. I think by April I came as close to being really depressed as I ever have. Now with the garden and the ferns and the lily of the valley that cold and dark seems so far away.

By the way, the new kidney doctor is good--he suggests I consume less caffeine and go from there. He doesn't see a surgery in the plan, as he doesn't know where the kidney is getting blocked. He thinks it best to manage my eating and drinking behavior--try not to overload any of the systems. I can do that. Caffeine reduction is a total killjoy but I'm on board. I'm gonna trust my body to figure this out.

On the teaching front, the practicum last summer was a great growth tool. However, between this new method of evaluation and trying to make videos for my teacher trainer application, I found myself being completely self conscious during many, many lessons this year. Trying to change something as fundamental as the rhythm of a 30-60 minute lesson is really off-setting. Can you teach a middle-aged dog new tricks?

Perhaps, like the Suzuki method cornerstone principle, I need to focus on one thing in my teaching growth. That thing needs to be communication with parents. How easy to get caught up with the child and forget it's the parent who really needs to know the assignment and the practice routine. The parent who needs my unconditional love and support. They are the ones doing this for the first time, after all.

Last fall, when I said goodbye to four exemplary seniors and gained four squirrelly little four-year-olds, I think I underestimated how much the success of those older kids fed my fragile little ego. Or maybe not so little. What if those grown kids were just easy to teach? These new little kids don't seem so easy. Maybe I just got lucky a few times and maybe I'm not such a great teacher as I think.

I didn't just get lucky. Every parent in my studio is amazing. It's all about the parents. Teach the parents and the kids will turn out fine. The rhythm of the lesson will be fine. The playing will be fine. It's the relationships and communication with the parents that make all the details iron out. That has always been my strength, and I need to circle back to that.

Speaking of parenting. I met a few of my parenting goals. I exposed Calvin to some awesome collegiate teaching this spring. He had masterclasses with three amazing teachers, whom we will continue relationships with. Also he's going to start playing some on his own at night. His idea--for me to help him with new stuff in the morning and for him to review at night. Halle-blessed-lujah. I was having visions of sitting with him in the college practice room for four hours at a stretch.

Goals for Mary? My biggest goal for Mary is to get the time in with her. It's really important. Everything has to go like clockwork for me to get her a full hour of practice on the weekdays. That means Mama has got to have it TOGETHER. . . finish teaching on time, have dinner READY to go, communicate with my beloved nanny what needs to happen. That takes time and planning on my account. The last ten days I got a full hour in with Mary and again, she's a different piano player. Things start to get easy. We can sign the planner and do the homework in the school drop off queue but I'm planning for practice. If it is to be, it is up to me. . .

My personal goals?  Get the pieces memorized and make my recordings of me performing THIS SUMMER. Then I can compile my teaching videos--even if I have to stage and fabricate (insert sarcastic voice) my best teaching. . .  Can you be a sarcastic teacher trainer? I'll work on that attitude next.

There you go. One very boring blog entry, that has helped me solidify the pieces of the Sara pie for the next few months. Being a Suzuki parent, teacher, and someday. . . someday. . . a trainer.

Go to Suzannes blog. . . and make your own summer pie. She has her motorcycle--I have my garden, and I hope you have at least one piece of your pie that feeds you like that, so that you can recharge and little by little tackle your goals too.