(BASICALLY, THIS IS FROM VARIOUS FACEBOOK POSTS)
Teaching kids guitar yesterday: 5 y.o. girl, always laughing and smiling. By the time we started, I realized she was sitting in the swival chair (feet not even touching the ground of course) Her chair starts turning slowly away from me... she begins to smile. I act alarmed, "You are going away!!!" The little girl reaches for the wall, correcting the turn. With a giggle, she says "I'm keeping myself here!"
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(Teaching ADORABLE 5 y.o. girl guitar) She begins whispering about a "leprechaun trap." (verbatum) "If you ever see a green foot sticking out of a tree, that's a leprechaun." I Lean toward her as she continues. "Keep your eyes peeled for rainbows (hand held to eyes like telescope)." I am soon whispering too. She finally adds, "At the end of a rainbow, there is something glowing."
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SANDMONSTER!
The word "Sandmonster" came from a little girl who sat on the floor in the corner during her mom's guitar lessons. She drew with crayons, oblivious to the conversation and music. When the lesson was over, she handed her art to me. "It's for you."
I had no idea what I was looking at. I said "Wooooooooowwwwww!! You are an ARTIST! Please tell me about this!!"
"It's a treasure map." She pointed to a special place. "And this is where there are diamond treasures."
"What's this darkish area?!" I asked.
"That is where the sandmonster lives!"
That conversation happened 8 years ago. Still remember it well.
I had no idea what I was looking at. I said "Wooooooooowwwwww!! You are an ARTIST! Please tell me about this!!"
"It's a treasure map." She pointed to a special place. "And this is where there are diamond treasures."
"What's this darkish area?!" I asked.
"That is where the sandmonster lives!"
That conversation happened 8 years ago. Still remember it well.
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(short story that is cool)
"Harry, come here. On the lowdown... I've heard about this liquid stuff called "water." It's supposedly thicker than air. And with fish like us, it's super-easy to breath!! If rumors are true, then we could swim in it, do sommersaults, whatever we want! We gotta start looking for "water!"
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A friend of mine and mother asked her son if he liked his new 3rd grade teacher.
"She's OK." Her son had the same teacher for 1st and 2nd grade, so having a new teacher in the 3rd grade was a real change.
Curious, mom asked, "Why is your new teacher just 'OK'?" He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know." Later in the day, and after a bit more prying, the boy explained. "My new teacher doesn’t hug the kids."
"She's OK." Her son had the same teacher for 1st and 2nd grade, so having a new teacher in the 3rd grade was a real change.
Curious, mom asked, "Why is your new teacher just 'OK'?" He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know." Later in the day, and after a bit more prying, the boy explained. "My new teacher doesn’t hug the kids."
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A boy came to lesson and said "I memorized.... " then he stopped and began looking for his guitar pick. Then he looked concerned, and began trying to find his assignments etc. I said, "Let me get this straight: You forgot what it is that you memorized?"
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This week, I had a knarly pimple emerge exactly mid-forehead.
Eventually, all I saw in the mirror was the pimple. I soon convinced myself that if I looked up, I could only see the bottom of my zit.
Before teaching kids guitar private lessons, I’d dot my forehead with a foundation pencil. Once the day began, I was having fun.
As usual, I pretended to be strict. As usual, there was a lot of laughter.
When 7-year old Jackson played very well, I celebrated taking out a sheet of dime-sized colored stickers of monkeys and frogs. His eyes got big.
I unpeeled a blue airplane sticker and handed it to him. He put it on his guitar.
I said, “And, we have an orange cat sticker. Where’s that going to go?” With a glowing smile, he added it to his music book. “Oh, here is the very last smiley face sticker. Where is this going to go, Jackson?”
He replied, “The bump on your face.”
Eventually, all I saw in the mirror was the pimple. I soon convinced myself that if I looked up, I could only see the bottom of my zit.
Before teaching kids guitar private lessons, I’d dot my forehead with a foundation pencil. Once the day began, I was having fun.
As usual, I pretended to be strict. As usual, there was a lot of laughter.
When 7-year old Jackson played very well, I celebrated taking out a sheet of dime-sized colored stickers of monkeys and frogs. His eyes got big.
I unpeeled a blue airplane sticker and handed it to him. He put it on his guitar.
I said, “And, we have an orange cat sticker. Where’s that going to go?” With a glowing smile, he added it to his music book. “Oh, here is the very last smiley face sticker. Where is this going to go, Jackson?”
He replied, “The bump on your face.”
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Another kid I teach is eternally optimistic about his playing, despite a complete lack of practice. Our interaction has become a sort of routine: He insists he is doing fine. I suggest he practice guitar more. Yesterday, he struggled terribly with a song he had been assigned. Crashed and burned! After an awkward silence, he looked to me with a nervous smile, "Well, it was almost close."
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If you enjoyed this, you may like "WELL OF COURSE I AM" at this blog page.
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