“What is a Teacher? A Teacher is the special person who has the responsibility to provide the “Eyes” for a student, and helps the student to “See”. A good Teacher directs the student’s eyes to the simple parts first, and slowly, bit by bit, gently guides the seeking hands along a proven path. He carefully points out the next bits of knowledge, skillfully combining the simplicities, until the top of the mountain unfolds, not as a “complexity of facts”, but as a workable system, perfectly understood and usable by the student.”
~ Violin method book by Eden Vaning-Rosen
One of my favorite people in the world emailed me this today. I absolutely love it. So often, I say, “life is easy. it really is. I can choose the easy way to do something or the hard way. what if it were easy?” And the easy way needs to also be the right way.
I love too that this is in a violin book:
* Directs the student’s eyes to the simple parts first
* Points out the next bits of knowledge
until …
* a workable system
* the top of the mountain
I also like that the end result is not a “complexity of facts.” By the time you get there, you’re not memorizing facts; you’re using parts you understand. This is how I want to be as a teacher.
I truly thought your post came from a yoga magazine. The essence of teaching is the same across all art forms. I think you ARE the teacher you aspire to be!
Thank you, Barbara. That’s an incredible thing to hear. Thank you.
Senia,
Thanks so much for the quotation. I’m with you. That’s the kind of teacher I strive to be. For me the journey is important. The journey is what gets you to the goal. We need not lose site of that.
There’s a similar quote I like by Carlos Castaneda:
“We don’t need anyone to teach us sorcery, because there is really nothing to learn. What we need is a teacher to convince us that there is incalculable power at our fingertips.”
Elona and Alvin, love your comments. Thanks!
S.