Yesterday, for some reason, every single kid showed up on time, ready, focused, and full of energy. It lead to one of the best classes of the year, and I wonder why it was that it happened yesterday. I know from experience that windy days often result in scattered, crazy, difficult classes, but what leads to the kind of day where everything works brilliantly? I can’t (of course) say for sure, but I’d hazard a guess that it’s at least partly down to momentum. We’ve been meeting for eleven weeks now, and something has clicked. Every single person in the room is fully committed, and along for the ride. There is no hesitancy from anyone volunteer for anything, no hesitancy in sharing ideas no matter how silly they might seem. In fact, it’s just the opposite–yesterday was nothing but all-out, full-speed, unabashed enthusiasm for everything at hand. From warm-ups, to vocal exercises, to improvisation, every kid seemed passionately driven to do the next thing beyond the best of their abilities. As a teacher it was thrilling to see. I just hope the momentum holds.
(December 7th, 2012)
Various Writings by Erin Bregman 