I recently received a very kind email from a parent which included this compliment:
“Despite E____ being the last student in a long day of various lessons, your approach and enthusiasm make her feel like she is your first student of the day.”
And this made me think a lot about how we as teachers have a very hard job when it comes to the last student of the day. Consider my Friday 5:30 student – by this time I have already taught 50 students for the week and I’m ready to go home for the weekend, but if I check out for the last 30 minutes of my work week this student doesn’t get the attention and focus that she deserves. In most careers it is okay to check out a little bit before the end of the work day but we can’t do that in piano teaching, it’s simply not fair to our students! We must approach the last lesson of the day (and especially the last lesson of the week) with the same enthusiasm, energy and focus that we have for the first lesson.
How do you keep up your energy and focus during the week? I’d love to hear some thoughts from your teaching experience, please share with us!
Author: Spring
Spring Seals, NCTM, teaches 60 piano students ranging from age 3 to 70 in Fort Worth, Texas. She also serves as the Director of Certification for TMTA. She is passionate about helping teachers become more effective in their studios through professional development, new resources, and fresh ideas.