I recently watched the movie "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood." In case you haven't seen it, it's about Mr. Rogers and the friendship he built with a reporter who had come to interview him. The first contact these two have with each other is a phone call and Mr. Rogers asks the reporter something to the effect of "Do you know what the most important thing in the world is to me right now? This phone conversation I'm having with you." That really hit me, because how often is the most important thing in the world to me something other than being in the moment with the person with whom I am interacting? How would my teaching be different if the for every lesson and every class the most important thing in the world to me is the student I am teaching? I have been experimenting with this idea and before every lesson pausing for a second to remind myself that the most important thing to me right now is this/these student/s. Some things I have noticed right away are
1) I notice more in their playing. I'm watching them and am a lot more aware of the skills they are struggling with. I am quicker to identify the challenge and find a way to work through it.
2) I feel more relaxed. I'm not as fidgety. I don't feel as pressed for time. The most important thing is the student and what they are learning. It isn't about how many new songs or skills we work on. It's about making sure they really understand and helping them develop the skills.
3) I am more present. It seems obvious, but I'm not thinking about the hundred other things I need to do. I'm able to address the issue of the moment and forget about the rest.
4) I'm more frustrated...but only for a short time. I realized that when I get frustrated, I distract myself instead of addressing the thing that I'm frustrated about, thus avoiding the issue and keeping myself frustrated for longer because the problem isn't solved. For example, in a class with two students, having to go through the whole process for everything twice because when one student is playing/asking questions, the other student isn't listening. With this new method, I explained the things that you should be doing when another student is getting help. It made a huge difference.
5) I think this is one of the most basic ways of showing love to others, and one that we have forgotten in our culture. It's not hard per se, but actually only focusing on one thing...one person who is not ourselves doesn't come naturally, but is what I am finding is actually the most important skill we should be cultivating.
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