Posted by TubaRay on February 09, 2004 at 16:55:38:
In Reply to: Re: Re: I have a confession. I HATE TO TEACH posted by Amateur tubist on February 09, 2004 at 16:17:12:
This was an extremely well-stated and true statement posted. Speaking from the teacher's standpoint, we(well, at least, I) don't usually measure how good my students are by how well they play. Put another way, my best students are those who have the right attitude, listen to my advice, attempt to follow it, and who go and practice. I would be happy to teach more students such as this. It is at least hypothetically possible to have a very poor "all-state" student. This would be a student who already knows a good deal about playing, perhaps knows "everything," and is willing to listen to virtually nothing. This would fit in the category of a poor attitude.
Furthermore, I believe most teachers realize that our students don't always give us instant positive feedback. I had an occasion recently where I was getting extremely discouraged about the lack of results I was having with some of my present students. While at a conference, I happened to "bump into" a couple of former students of mine who proceeded to let me know how much I had taught them, recall music we had learned, and let me know how much it meant to them. Needless to say, this really helped give me a needed boost.
I tend to look at things this way. As teachers, we have a chance to make a difference in the lives of our students. It is a CHANCE. Sometimes we succeed and sometimes we fail. We will not always know, EVER.
Personally, I have had the chance to tell some teachers how much they meant in my life. I totally missed the opportunity with others. They went to their graves without any indication on my part that they had accomplished anything. I regret this very much, but it reminds me of my own situation, too.
Ray Grim
The TubaMeisters
San Antonio, Texas