10/5 - The Persistence of Memory

We allowed everyone in HS Choir to return to their original seats...the fussy group of girls got even worse, and Mrs. D is following up with the administration.  This is the first time in many years of teaching that she has had to take this approach.

I scared the Theory students a bit by making them sing (together).  That was fun.  I began teaching them intervals, and in the process realized how much information there is to know just about intervals, especially when ear training is included.

GM went fairly well.  I remembered one of the amusing moments from yesterday, which seemed to almost repeat itself a few times today:  The class was playing a chord progression along with me, and was doing so quite chaotically.  I was grinning during this (ok, it was really bad) and a student asked me why I was smiling.  I said, "Because I'm having fun!"  Well, I was, but only to keep myself from going mad with frustration.  Laughter followed.

Now to address the topic referenced in this post's title.  I forget things a lot, but that isn't any different than I always have been.  However, I've recently noticed something pretty cool; I'm remembering a lot of things!  That shouldn't be so exciting, I know, but consider the vast amount of information that is thrust upon a teacher — new names every day, music that you're asked to listen to, information sent from the administration, who is absent and why, who is having issues at home, who is about to have an athletic event, who just did, who forgot to turn something in, who isn't on their medication, who is supposed to be sitting where, who you've already had an in-the-hall respect lecture with, who your cooperating teacher has already had such a lecture with, etc., etc., etc...  So I'm absorbing much more material than I've previously needed to yet only forgetting the same amount that I used to; the forgetfulness has not increased proportionally (unless I'm forgetting something).  I'm proud to declare that I think I'm keeping up with the inundation of details that teachers must handle.  It keeps my mind in shape.

(A shout-out to Mrs. D — I think I'm going to have Cocoa Puffs for breakfast tomorrow......)


 (梦中人) Dreamlover (Dreams by The Cranberries) - Faye Wong