Today, I Confess: Some things in my TeacherLife are NOT working.
As promised in this week's podcast episode, today I am sharing a few things from my recent reflections on What is NOT Working This Season of Life.
Every quarter, I make two lists:
(1) What is working this season of life, and (2) What is NOT.
I like to share some of my reflections from the first question on the podcast, and some from the second list here.
No. 1: Taxes
Big sigh. As I posted in IG a few weeks ago, this is the only time of year I find myself questioning my career choice.
(and I mean this sincerely: Like clockwork, I begin searching for new "traditional" jobs every March)
There's something about waiting for the CPA to send us our new quarterly tax figures that sends my brain into a spiral.
...and then, when the news is painful (as it was this year - for many of us!), I tend to fall into a pit of discouragement for a few days.
For the record, I don't begrudge the act of paying taxes. We set money aside throughout the year, and the logical part of my brain understands this is part of every job.
I'm committed to being honest in my reporting (character counts!), and I try to be a cheerful contributing citizen of my country.
AND STILL.
The combination of seeing getting handed a big bill and higher quarterly estimates for the year ahead leaves me questioning WHY MY JOB COSTS ME SO MUCH MONEY. 🤯
Don't worry; I'm too invested in this profession to leave. I know no one really escapes these feelings, since "traditional" employees stare at every paycheck wondering why they pay so much in taxes...
...I guess it just hits hard because Piano Teacher Tax Panic gets concentrated into one very specific season. ☺️
PS: I have a studio parent who is a CPA and she's telling me EVERYONE'S tax news is bad this year. She says it's been difficult on her mental health and she is sick to her stomach from delivering terrible news with nearly every return.
....so, if your tax news was tough to swallow, know you're in good company!
2. Seeking Approval
As a lifelong approval-seeker, this is nothing new. I only include it here because I know many of us share the same struggle.
I was talking to a university pedagogy class earlier this week, reminding them that - among other things - their most important contributions to this profession may go entirely unnoticed by the outside world.
Our best work does not always result in competition-winning students or a CV full of high-profile performances.
Rather, it's the quiet work we do within our studio walls that has the power to change the world.
It's nurturing the student on the bench across from you, building an experience where they feel safe to experiment and fall short of their own expectations.
Our most important work is helping students see themselves as the innately imaginative, capable humans they are.
I've said it a million times, but I believe music teachers are quietly supporting the best aspects of humanity - and have been for generations.
...but we don't get credit for that, do we? Sure, sometimes our students come back and thank us later. That's a gift.
More often than not, though, we just press on. No one will give you a trophy for the hours of research you invested in how to serve your students with learning exceptionalities.
The local news is not going to run a story on the way you took a deep breath and chose patience over frustration towards a student who desperately needed compassion last Tuesday.
I know this is true, but it doesn't make me immune to wanting someone to notice my efforts from time to time.
I run into this in multiple areas of life, including my teaching AND my podcasting+ endeavors. I can always tell a shift in my spirit when I begin searching for approval. It's not good for me or my creative process.
So, friends, may we remember that our contributions cannot be measured in metrics or feedback or acknowledgements. When you work with people as closely as we do, we must stay true to ourselves and strive to be content with a job well-done.
(Even when it feels like no one is noticing).
3. The Pedal Question
It's a scenario we can all relate to: You're in the middle of some world-class teaching when your student interrupts you and says, "Wait - what do the other pedals do?"
As a general rule, I try to be open to student questions. If it's at all possible to give an answer without derailing the moment, I'll do it. If I can't get to it in the moment, I make myself a note and come back to it next week.
For some reason, The Pedal Question is the one that seems to come at the most inopportune times. Is it just me?
I really try to head this one off at the start. I talk about the piano anatomy in the second-ever lesson I have with new students.
This year, I tried to be extra clever on this front: I dedicated one of our August group classes to the inner-workings of the piano, including the functions of all three pedals.
Sidenote: this is one of my favorite group class topics. We explore ideas of prepared piano by placing a sheet of paper over the strings, using ping pong balls, and more. I also hold the damper pedal and let students shout into the piano to hear the resonance. So fun.
Since each of my students attended those group classes this fall, I thought I'd cracked the code on avoiding The Pedal Question.
I kid you not; MORE students have asked me The Pedal Question this year than ever before!
(and, yes, once I remind them, they say OH YEAH....🙂)
This is obviously not that big of a deal, but I thought you'd enjoy laughing about it with me. I've always said, the happiest teachers are those who can repeat themselves many times without getting irritated.
Maybe we're just destined to answer The Pedal Question forever and ever into eternity....
4. Social Media
I know, I know... I've been hard on social media this year, including venting sessions here and here.
I'm not going deep on this today, but here's the Cliff's Notes version of my thoughts:
As part of my Lenten journey this year, I'm spending very little time on social media (it's an experiment in moderation; I'm typically better with all-or-nothing choices but want to explore some middle ground here).
The biggest impact I'm finding from time away? I am HYPER aware of how much bad advice and icky salespeople there are in PianoTeacherWorld.
Don't get me wrong; the good still outweighs the bad for me... but I find myself taking personal offense when I see good people falling prey to poor sales practices.
Please note: OF COURSE there are many incredible creators selling important, game-changing resources.
I just tire from the decision fatigue and built-in skepticism when trying to determine what is worth the cost and what is not.
For me, social media is turning into Disney World:
My husband grew up going to Disney World multiple times per year. Things were a lot simpler then.
(also: his grandmother worked for a travel agency and they went for dirt cheap)
If you've tried to plan a Disney vacation in the last 15 years, you know: it's different now. There is an overwhelming amount of strategy and pre-planning involved, all of which CAN get you a great vacation experience - but you have to play the game.
(For the record: We, the Whitlocks, have not played that game in many years.)
I feel like social media is the same way. We have to work SO HARD to get the content we want to consume. The same goes for making content that gets seen. I get tired of needing to "game" the system just to enjoy social media the way I want to.
...which is just one giant confirmation that less time on social is the move for me these days. 😅
So, friends! There you have it: my current list of what is NOT working for me these days. What makes YOUR list for this season? HIT REPLY and let me know!
🥂 May we be intentional to name the things that make us feel good AND that which, well, doesn't. 🥂