Longer Phrases

I would like to take it as a sign of my growth as a teacher that I no longer finish a day and think, "That was brilliant!"  Or "That was totally off."  So much depends on the reception of the student and I can't really know that after one lesson.  It also depends on persistence over time, the building up of expectation and trust.  Maybe I delivered an excellent lesson, but if they were checked out for some other reason, it doesn't count.  Or maybe I was tired and less patient than normal, and it caught their attention in a way that woke them up and made them own their mistakes and focus a little more.  Made them go home and practice.  It's so hard to say, but kids are really perceptive and so there is always a feeling of a mirror being there.  They see through me in a way I can't really see, and I can't help but find it reflected after time.  How nice to have a chance to be with a group for awhile, to hone myself for them and to learn from what they show to me.  It's far more than a single day.  It's time to think in longer phrases.