“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!
Comment by Barbara — Saturday September 29, 2007 @ 1:59 am
Thank you, Barbara. That’s an incredible thing to hear. Thank you.
Comment by senia — Saturday September 29, 2007 @ 12:15 pm
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.
Comment by elona — Saturday September 29, 2007 @ 7:54 pm
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.”
Comment by Alvin — Sunday September 30, 2007 @ 3:13 am
Elona and Alvin, love your comments. Thanks!
S.
Comment by Senia — Thursday October 11, 2007 @ 10:52 am