Inspiration – A Reciprocal Relationship
As many of you know, I recently was invited to Colorado Springs to give a presentation for the Pikes Peak MTA. I got back this past Wednesday, and it was a wonderful experience in so many ways.
I realized I could inspire others, even teachers older and more experienced than me. This shows me and gives me hope that we are always learning, and we always should be. Curse the day I stop trying to become a better teacher and no longer consider the ideas of others.
Along the same lines, I kept thinking about an idea I gathered from a blog I read recently. Sometimes, we try so hard to stand out or be different, but those are usually the dead ends. We usually stand out the most when we aren’t trying and just doing our best. Part of my philosophy then, is to not worry about how novel my idea may be, but if I am going to present or work at it to the best of my ability. That is what makes you stand out.
I had been hoping before the Colorado trip that I would leave with some good ideas on teaching from the other teachers. Little did I know how inspired I would be.
For one – efficiency. Jill, a PPMTA member and now friend that I was staying with, is such a great model of the kind of woman I want to be. She volunteers for a multitude of projects and tasks for her chapter, including coordinating the State Piano Competition. She accompanies full time at a local middle school and teaches privately at her home. Jill does all of this with a smile on her face and a kind heart – and she still manages to come home and have dinner ready for her husband. She reminded me that sometimes, you have to “JUST DO IT!”
I got to spend time chatting with some of the other teachers over brownies or tomato basil soup, and I remembered the diversity of teachers there are. That is an especially good reason why we should let ourselves be inspired by others. Simply getting another outlook can show us things we didn’t think of. I got some great ideas for teaching adult students that I’ve been looking for.
All of this to say, I have my very own set of experienced, caring teachers here in Norman, and I’m going to get to know them better!
Also, one day I want to live in Colorado Springs. 
