Leveling A Gross Misunderstanding About Teaching

What EVERY teacher wants to say but usually can't afford to say...

  Somewhat often parents of students will say something that kinda of makes me cringe. While at first it is said with sincerity, it ultimately results in a undeserved and possibly indignifying expectation that it is the teacher's responsibility to make their kid practice.

  Nope!  That's the student's job!  And even if the parent took to that task, they will find that not even they can "make" their kid practice. The short of it is this - and it's really a simple fix: If your child won't make time to practice, stop paying for their lessons!  And I bet you thought Dr. Phil was going to have to get involved!

  As a drum instructor it is my job to provide to your child the method, knowledge, techniques, perspective and example of how to drum - or "percuss".  It is your child's job to show up with a hydrated frontal lobe and a modicum of enthusiasm &/or curiosity.  If a child is lucky, the parent's may be able to support their child's interests by paying for lessonss which is a privilege - not an entitlement, and while they don't have to supplicate the parent for worthiness, if they are otherwise dismissive of that privilege by not involving themselves with practice - then pull the plug! The parent is not guilty of wrongdoing here.  Children often don't like having something taken away and will plead for to keep lessons but the proof is in the practice.  While Peter Cetera once said, "You don't know what you got until it's gone.", discipline has a funny way of saying, "Shit or get off the pot" however one does get credit for trying!  In this case, discontinuing lessons is not meant to be a punishment but a logical response considering the money, time and effort put in.

  There's also something else in the air that is involved: distraction. Most students are so inexplicable distracted they don't have the wherewithal to be embarrassed for their disinterest and non-participation.  Most do not review their lesson material or even listen to the songs we reference in lessons. They can't even be bothered to bring their own sticks and notebook.  This sadly is a reflection of our crack-phone culture.  And if teachers fired every student that came in with the attention span of a heroin addict freshly out of rehab - well - now were talking about not being able to eat.  So effectively, culture places educational discipline and accountability on the same plane as Prostitution, the oldest profession (before they branched-off in to Law, Medicine and Automotive Repair).  Otherwise many parents have their kids so over-involved with sports, by the time they come to a lesson they don't even know where they came from.  Sports is a hard nut to crack because in this culture if you don't play sports the social viability of the student and parent is lessened.  In contrast, music is all about the individual.  There's no social viability cookie as a "reward" save for the awful attempt to be "a star".  But if personal motivation is that weak then maybe Abraham Maslow had it all wrong?  Except he didn't.  Discipline is a righteous and uncomplicated litmus.

  Too many think knowledge is microwavable in direct correlation with the speed in which they can look up something on youtube.  An offended parent by this point of view once told me, "Sorry my child isn't perfect."  And so was I....so was I.  If discipline makes you wince; If the smell of accountability makes you feel lethargic, that's okay, but you don't get to have a say in what constitutes educational standards.  It's like a student who flunks a class and only then expects to have the luxury of blaming the class or teacher.