Today, I Confess: I Am Easily Distracted.
There is ONE UNIVERSAL THING every student wants:
Our attention.
...not our attention to their fingers, or their rhythmic errors, but our attention to their personhood.
Every student (whether chatty or quiet!) wants to be seen and understood.
The contrary is well-documented: When people don't feel known, bad things happen.
This appears to be the ultimate challenge as we find ourselves living in The Age of Distraction.
We can't escape the multiple billion-dollar industries who have made it their job to keep us focused on their thing rather than our real lives.
I wish I could say I've risen above it, but I'm certainly not immune to distractibility.
The world is full of shiny objects to divert our attention.
Just last week I caught myself checking email during a lesson and I missed something my student said.
"Did you hear what I said?" they questioned.
Ouch. I was caught.
I asked for forgiveness, closed my laptop and sat down so I could look him straight in the eye.
I've told many up-and-coming teachers this is one of the BIG "no-no's" of teaching. You keep your hands off your phone, eyes off the SmartWatch, and only use your computer for rare, lesson-related work.
But here I was; doing the exact thing I teach against.
I'm sure you've been there, too. It is not my intent to shame anyone here (not even myself).
But here's the thing about attention: it's the most important asset we have to offer anyone.
I can promise you: Our students are all-too-used to trying to connect with someone whose attention is engrossed on a screen.
Young students experience this with the parents, siblings, and peers. Adult students get it from their coworkers and children.
In our ever-changing world, THIS is emerging as the most important aspect of our work: A student and a teacher spending 30+ fully present minutes together every week.
There is nothing more impactful than a shared experience, and we get the opportunity to have exactly that with each of our students every 7 days.
So, teacher friends, let this be your reminder today to remain fully present in your teaching.
Stay away from your devices during lessons.
If you're teaching online, close down all other programs (keep those eyes off your inbox!🤦♀️).
Silence notifications and remind yourself this may be the only time in your students' week where they get focused 1-1 attention from another human being.
I spoke to an out-of-town friend recently who "fired" her piano teacher for always looking at her cellphone during lessons.
Don't be that teacher, friends.
...and if you're someone who struggles with screen dependence, please give yourself grace and remember this is not a moral failing.
You may be outnumbered by Tech Giants who are committed to keeping you focused on their products, but you can reclaim your life one small step at a time. Shaming yourself does nothing.
Instead, focus on the opportunity you have to share the GIFT of your attention.
Every student, every day... what they want most is your focused presence. May we always lead with care for the human sitting across from us.
I'm so curious: What do you consider YOUR most-tempting distraction when teaching?
HIT REPLY and let me know so I can wish you well!💜
🥂 Cheers to the timeless advice of 👑 Frances Clark, who famously reminded us to "Teach the student first, the music second, and the piano third." 🥂