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My Own Personal Sky

~ what I'm learning while growing up

My Own Personal Sky

Tag Archives: teaching

Falling asleep while reading to kids

23 Tuesday Oct 2012

Posted by paffenbutler in Being Yourself, English Class in the High School, On Being Responsive, Seizing the Moment

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being yourself, control, falling asleep reading to kids, goals, high school English class, inspire, joy, listening, piano, piano lessons, teacher, teaching, trust, words

The high school English teacher I work with said to me today, “Let’s go where the learners are”, meaning we should follow the kids in the classroom that show their interest in learning, and then try to teach them whatever it is they are able to receive. This creates a culture in the classroom, of learning.

I know this might sound complicated but really I think it is what we do as parents all the time. When my toddler brings me a book, I see that it is time to read. He is showing me that he is ready to learn about reading even if it is only to hear the story. Do it enough times and more things, things we are not even counting on, are being learned as well. Things like our ability to be close, or how stories are composed, or that Dr. Seuss is an artist and an author, or that sometimes parents fall asleep reading books, or that sentences can be constructed lots of different ways. Frequently my piano students are eager to show me what they have learned over the intervening week….ripe to learn more. “Show me,” I say, and I let them lead the learning right off the bat.

There is little way for us to know for sure what our kids learn when we attempt to teach them, so why worry about it. Let’s just go where the learners are, and offer what we have with the hope they will benefit.
All of this creates a culture of learning and of caring about kids, teaching our children to value and embrace our authority.

Love showing kids how to do things

03 Friday Aug 2012

Posted by paffenbutler in Being Yourself, Playing

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goals, inspire, joy, piano lessons, play, teacher, teaching

I went to the store today delighted to buy the introductory book for two new piano students I am taking on this month. Can’t wait to show them how easy it is to play piano when you take it a step at a time, and an idea at a time. Can’t wait to see how delighted they are, and their parents are, as they learn to master the challenge. Learning to play piano is learning a second language, and it is a lesson about long term goals and sticking with an idea as much as anything else. It is also an opportunity to teach parents the value of letting their children bring their discoveries home to show the family and to help them own the thrill of accomplishing something outside the home.

Love teaching all those things.

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