I've gotten it into my head that I want to try teaching Elizabeth how to play the piano myself. We are on a pretty tight budget right now and I've been worrying about how to pay for her lessons, and feeling guilty that I haven't started her yet. I don't know why--I keep reminding myself that I was 7 when I started. Still, she's been wanting lessons for awhile now and is definitely ready. This feels like a good solution. Plus, anything that will keep us home rather than running everywhere in the car after school is good. Anyway, the book is in the mail and we're going to try it out as soon as it comes. Any tips on what or what not to do when teaching your own kids would be appreciated. I'm not too proud to admit defeat and pay for someone else if it just doesn't work. I may as well give it a shot, right? (Please tell me I'm not crazy!)
Update: We had our first lesson and it went great! She is very enthusiastic so far and is really cruising through the early stuff. Hopefully this keeps up, but we shall see...
Elizabeth's teacher snapped this awesome picture of her on Dr. Seuss' birthday (Read-a-thon/pajama day):
She told me that teachers kept coming over to take pictures of her. She's a good poster-child for Read Across America Day, I guess. She absolutely loves that flower pillow that Grandma Marsha made her for Christmas.
Natalie celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday in preschool, too. She got to dress up like the Cat in the Hat:
Nate...well, he is 2. He does what 2-year-olds do best: make messes when his mom's back is turned...
Like painting his nails on the couch
(luckily the only casualty was a throw pillow I didn't much care for).
(luckily the only casualty was a throw pillow I didn't much care for).
Joe is working hard and putting in a lot of hours. He revels in being outside whenever possible:
As for me, I do exciting things like make granola when my kids insist there's nothing to eat in the house:
It's a glamorous life I lead. :)
I leave you with a quote I read recently that I really liked:
"When you are exasperated by interruptions, try to remember that their very frequency may indicate the value of your life. Only people who are full of help and strength are burdened by other persons' needs. The interruptions which we chafe at are the credentials of our indispensability. The greatest condemnation that anybody could incur - and it is a danger to guard against - is to be so independent, so unhelpful, that nobody ever interrupts us, and we are left comfortably alone."
-Anonymous
from The Anglican Digest
4 comments:
Very cool quote! I remember my mom teaching me piano, I wish I could say it went better than it did, but its a good sign Elizabeth wants to learn Piano! You look great, miss you Ash!!
thanks for the quote! Loved it. mmm granola is the best!! Love the cute pictures!
I loved that quote! So good. I cannot believe you are teaching Elizabeth the piano. Libbi would not do that. You are my hero. For real!
I really liked that quote, too. Thanks for sharing it.
Just a thought on teaching your own children. (You are not crazy. :) ) Marjorie Hinckley once advised her granddaughter when she needed to know what to do about the fits her daughter was throwing. She said, "Just save the relationship."
I guess the general principle I take from this is that I am a mother first and a teacher second. So if we hit a wall on a subject, I try to make sure not to let the challenge of learning something new interfere with my child knowing that I still love them. If we need a break on a certain topic, we can take a break on that topic and work on something else and then come back to it when we're both ready.
I'm also trying to remember that just because I know something doesn't mean my child knows it like I do. It may sound obvious, but there have been times when I start to assume that my child should know what I'm talking about and then realize that they have no idea what I'm talking about.
My solution for this problem, when I remember, is trying to assume that they don't know anything about it and figure out what they do know and work from there.
I enjoy the moments when I'm teaching my children and watching things click in their minds and seeing them progress in their learning. It's a blessing to have that opportunity.
Best wishes in teaching Elizabeth piano.
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