Warning: Petty Vent Served with a side of Squashed Self Esteem
Remember that scene from Father of the Bride when Steve Martin has just met his daughter's fiancee and tries to advise his daughter to wear a jacket as she's leaving because "it's chilly out", and she proceeds to blow him off because he's just her silly old dad; her fiancee then chimes in "He's right, it IS chilly out" and she suddenly listens to him and says "Oh really? Oh thanks, let me grab my jacket".
Yeah, that's how I've felt the past several months as I've watched students come and go; sometimes they quit cold turkey because they've gotten sick of practicing (or of me telling them to practice--I KNOW there was nearly no practicing going on) and others have discreetly found other teachers while still continuing study with me, and then have given me the boot. But right before they decided to leave, I'd get clues about their intentions. Like when their mom would ask me why other people would comment on her son's bow hold or his lousy posture and wonder why I haven't fixed it, and I'd gently remind her that I've been showing him the correct way to do both for the past four years but he's not doing the exercises I've given him. And then, she'd try to cover her ass by blaming HIM saying he's approaching "that" age where he doesn't listen to authority, and it's not my fault. I had a chance to talk to this particular student after he had an intro lesson with his new teacher and was a little miffed when the kid reported everything they had done in the lesson (exact same things we had worked on for YEARS) because even though it seemed like this teacher echoed everything I had said in the past, this mom/child chose to listen to him because they were in awe of him.
I get that that is going to happen to someone like myself. I'm still relatively young, I LOOK ten years younger than I already am (so yeah, I look like I'm in college), and my students--for the most part--are just not intimidated by me. They're comfortable with me. This mom told me that her son was scared out of his mind playing for this teacher...and that they liked that. Well, okay. Whatever works for you, I guess.
Why am I venting about something that happened in the past? As is usually the case: Facebook. Soon after the said parent/son left, the mom sent me an email cheerfully quipping, "Now that you're no longer our teacher...can we be FB friends?!" As if it were a peace offering letting me know I was still in their good graces, and that it was now appropriate to be casual acquaintances. I stupidly accepted.
Today--since I'm a FB stalker--I notice that this mom has "friended" their current teacher and "liked" every damn activity he's a part of. What--they've only been with him a whole month? I know it seems petty--it IS petty...and is exactly why I regret the social media hell that is FB. You find out unnecessary crap that you would be completely fine without knowing, but once you do know, you read into it WAY too much--and you're left with a vent on this blog. You're welcome:)
Anyways, I've been feeling like Steve Martin lately and it gets to be old. But I know it will pass, just like everything else.
Today is just another blip on the radar--I will be totally and utterly over it in about five hours. Thanks for listening.
Yeah, that's how I've felt the past several months as I've watched students come and go; sometimes they quit cold turkey because they've gotten sick of practicing (or of me telling them to practice--I KNOW there was nearly no practicing going on) and others have discreetly found other teachers while still continuing study with me, and then have given me the boot. But right before they decided to leave, I'd get clues about their intentions. Like when their mom would ask me why other people would comment on her son's bow hold or his lousy posture and wonder why I haven't fixed it, and I'd gently remind her that I've been showing him the correct way to do both for the past four years but he's not doing the exercises I've given him. And then, she'd try to cover her ass by blaming HIM saying he's approaching "that" age where he doesn't listen to authority, and it's not my fault. I had a chance to talk to this particular student after he had an intro lesson with his new teacher and was a little miffed when the kid reported everything they had done in the lesson (exact same things we had worked on for YEARS) because even though it seemed like this teacher echoed everything I had said in the past, this mom/child chose to listen to him because they were in awe of him.
I get that that is going to happen to someone like myself. I'm still relatively young, I LOOK ten years younger than I already am (so yeah, I look like I'm in college), and my students--for the most part--are just not intimidated by me. They're comfortable with me. This mom told me that her son was scared out of his mind playing for this teacher...and that they liked that. Well, okay. Whatever works for you, I guess.
Why am I venting about something that happened in the past? As is usually the case: Facebook. Soon after the said parent/son left, the mom sent me an email cheerfully quipping, "Now that you're no longer our teacher...can we be FB friends?!" As if it were a peace offering letting me know I was still in their good graces, and that it was now appropriate to be casual acquaintances. I stupidly accepted.
Today--since I'm a FB stalker--I notice that this mom has "friended" their current teacher and "liked" every damn activity he's a part of. What--they've only been with him a whole month? I know it seems petty--it IS petty...and is exactly why I regret the social media hell that is FB. You find out unnecessary crap that you would be completely fine without knowing, but once you do know, you read into it WAY too much--and you're left with a vent on this blog. You're welcome:)
Anyways, I've been feeling like Steve Martin lately and it gets to be old. But I know it will pass, just like everything else.
Today is just another blip on the radar--I will be totally and utterly over it in about five hours. Thanks for listening.
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