what are you doing right now?

[CCL]

Sept 19, 2023 14:47:26 GMT -5 lurkyloo said:

Dammit.  DS sprained his ankle in gym class-big bump o’swelling.  Do I need to take him to the doctor?  My impression is that they’ll just say wrap it, ice it, stay off it and give him ibuprofen.

I'd get an x-ray, just to be safe. Could be a fracture, but hopefully not.

[raeoflyte]

Sept 19, 2023 17:33:34 GMT -5 MarionTh230 said:

Sept 19, 2023 17:24:39 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

She's got spunk. I like her.

Good luck in the interview and beyond.

Sometimes I call her a spicy jalapeno.  She is very independent, confident, determined.  She isn't a people pleaser at all.  She is not externally motivated.  She is internally motivated.  She has to decide for herself to do something.  She's always been like that.  

It's a challenge trying to nurture that while still maintaining appropriate boundaries.  I told her it's her choice whether to fail or not.  I did, however, tell her she has to be polite and kind to the staff tomorrow during the exam and interview.  That point is non-negotiable.

I don't have most of those qualities but definitely on the internal motivation. I had one of those cross fit gym guys trying for the hard sell with me trying to find an external motivator and it was the first time I could put it into words how pointless that was.

And yes, sometimes I wish the kids were a little less like me.

[minnesotapaintlady]

Sept 19, 2023 17:43:21 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

Sept 19, 2023 16:11:01 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

swamp (or any other attorneys here).  Why would an omnibus hearing be cancelled?  The Friday hearing for the guy accused of killing his girlfriend and hiding her body from our town was suddenly cancelled.  Not rescheduled, just cancelled. 

Maybe the inmates got ahold of him and he's no longer available for the hearing.

While that wouldn't be the worst. I really want him to be convicted in a jury trial first. Reason being is his family has been horrible through this (mainly his dad, brother and sister). While she was missing they were all going on about how she probably just left her kids and took off with some other guy (while her body was lying 1/4 mile down the road from their house). They have been rude and belligerent to searchers and now say their son/brother was framed. I'm almost more furious with them at this point.

If he just ended up killed in jail he would forever be the innocent victim to them.

[countrygirl2]

I wanted to go in the military and my dad threw a fit. Wish I had not listened. I think I would have thrived in the structure even being a woman. And I had my degree. But back than I really didn't defy my parents. Later I did but not quickly enough, sigh.

Have a signed contract back and now I am scanning and transmitting files to the partner of all the items named. I am breaking them down in small batches, otherwise afraid they are too big.  I printed off P&L's for the PO and circled the ones pertaining only to it. I cannot find them anywhere. I just printed the 2020 so I have it but not the two newer years. It's like the mouse I lost sitting in my recliner one day. To this day we have not found it. I still think hubs picked it up and put it somewhere but who knows. I hate it when I do stuff like that.

Hubs is betting me they won't pay that much, I said we will see. The partner already said he can get more money than I am getting now, so I think they will. He told me that upfront before I signed anything. 

I have a cute picture of Smokey helping me, need to add it.


www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1505810706888614&set=pcb.1505810940221924

www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1505810916888593&set=pcb.1505810940221924

[finnime]

That's horrible, minnesotapaintlady. I hope he stands trial and is found guilty by a jury. And that his family realizes just how much damage they have wrought.

[Pink Cashmere]

Sept 19, 2023 17:25:16 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

When I was in HS the parasitic relationship between student loans, colleges and high school was just starting to gain momentum.

If a kid wanted to be a garbage man it shouldn't have been discouraged or shamed.

And the trades and other non college jobs definitely shouldn't have been presented as jobs two steps up from poverty.

There was a lot left put and I think that did kids a major disservice.

I'm not a trade person. Nothing wrong with that or vice versa.

That being said I fed too much into planning out my life. I needed and craved the praise I'd get for being so prepared and choosing college.

I've since figured out my rigid need for plans and structure is ADHD.

Now with more life experience a pension and retirement at 55 sounds pretty awesome!

Nobody tells you about that stuff at 18. Y

It's not I can't change at 40 it's I have responsibility and people who depend on me. There are a lot of factors in play that weren't in my 20s.









I don't regret my choices just reflecting on being 18 and my views/goals VS 40.

Well, when I was in high school, I didn’t know student loans even existed. I didn’t have anyone coaching me. My Mom didn’t go to college, and I went to a college prep school (which is funny in hindsight now, because how did I go there and not know student loans existed), but, I didn’t make straight A’s or take AP classes, to get on the radar of guidance counselors or whoever at school. I did score very well the first and only time I took the AcT with no prep or guidance, so our mailbox was full of material from colleges, just because of that. But I didn’t think I could afford to go to college, so what was the point of all that mail. 

I did meet with a guidance counselor once, because I was inducted into the National Honor Society or something, I don’t remember exactly, but I had a meltdown in her office, because of some stuff going on at home. That was due to my Mom having married a crackhead when I was in the 11th grade. But even with me having that meltdown in her office with tears and snot running, there was never any follow up, or guidance offered after that.

Sometimes I’ve wondered how my life might be different if I’d had some guidance back then, because I really did want to go to college… FAR away from home if I could…. I just had no idea that I could pay for it with loans. But when I wonder about that, I can’t say that I regret the path my life took, because that would mean I wouldn’t have the children I have, and I would never regret having them. So it is what it is.

I was blessed to end up with a job that paid enough for me to provide a comfortable lifestyle for my children as a single Mom, after their Dad and I divorced. The minimum age for retirement is 57yo now, with 30 years of service, which I will have when I turn 57yo. I wasn’t thinking about retirement benefits when I accepted the job in my 20’s, but now I am very grateful for those benefits, because a sista is tired of working. As long as I retire with the minimum requirements, I can receive an additional supplement, similar to what I would receive from SS at age 62, until I actually turn 62 and am eligible for SS.

Anyway, if I’d gone to college, who knows what kind of awesome career I might have and how financially successful I might be by now, but I get hung up on that, because that would mean I wouldn’t have the children I have. And I don’t want that part of my life to change. So it all turned out okay, with me ending up with my “good gubmint job”.

[toomuchreality]

Sept 19, 2023 14:19:50 GMT -5 lurkyloo said:

This is probably the wrong forum to mention that I never bought the premise of Home Alone    I probably need therapy.

Ha! I never saw/watched it. It seemed way too ridiculous to me.

[toomuchreality]

Sept 19, 2023 14:47:26 GMT -5 lurkyloo said:

Dammit.  DS sprained his ankle in gym class-big bump o’swelling.  Do I need to take him to the doctor?  My impression is that they’ll just say wrap it, ice it, stay off it and give him ibuprofen.

Unless they xray it and it really is broken. They'll probably still say, take ibuprofen.

[Pink Cashmere]

Sept 19, 2023 18:18:07 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

Sept 19, 2023 17:37:41 GMT -5 susana1954 said:

I am just going to address one aspect of your comment and then shut up.

Collecting a pension at 55 would be pretty awesome, but few people can afford to do it.  Tier 1 teachers here can retire after 25 years, but no one can live off 50% of their salary.  Insurance (too young for Medicare) takes a large chunk of it, and you are too young to collect Social Security.  You can't tap most retirement money without penalty.  So you find yourself still working, but not at the salary you had.  You are basically entry-level material although some go teach at private schools, etc.  But only the best of the best pay decently around here.  Most pay in the 30s for five or six preps.  And no insurance or retirement.  A lot of my friends decide it isn't worth it, particularly as the 50s are the years when most of their kids are in college.  They stay where they are, earning a better retirement.  I suspect that is true of garbage collectors, too. 

Still, it is a nice option to have.

The corollary to many of these physical jobs under a pension (like the garbage man) is that many MUST take the pension because their bodies have broken down.  Doing the job at 22 isn’t the same thing as at 50.  So you might have a sweet pension, but it’s at the expense of your body.  

A friend of mine got out of research to teach science in the NY school system.  They were in such tremendous need of science teachers that they hired her without the rest of the teaching credentials she needed.  In her case, her kids were in school and she wanted to keep busy.  I want to say she was around 40 when she gave research a heave ho.  In reality, she would have had a 35+ mile one way commute to get a job in research, her DH was a very high earner, there was no need for her to work…..not even for benefits.  I think she lasted about 10 years.  She liked the students, but hated the parents and administration.  The administration would never back up the teachers.  I think she was pretty good at the job too, as she had a very high percentage of her students passing the Regents exams.  

This is so true. I am a living witness. At my job, if you actually work, at some point over the years, you are going to have at least one musculoskeletal injury, most likely a few before you retire, if you even manage to stay long enough to retire and your injuries don’t force you out. I am not exaggerating.

About 15 years ago, I was chosen to be on a team my employer started, to try to improve ergonomics where it was practical, to reduce musculoskeletal injuries. At the time, I had access to data about the number and type of injuries, and the causes, and back then, those injuries were costing my employer $4Billion/year.

I don’t know what the costs are these days, but I imagine it’s a lot more, at least partly due to an aging workforce. People tend be lifers at my job, and they didn’t start really hiring a lot of younger people until maybe 10 years ago.

I can’t think of one of my coworkers that I talk to even a little, that doesn’t have feet, knee, shoulder, back, hands or wrists problems. I saw it among the older folks when in my early years, and after about 10 years, it started with the folks that started working there around the time I did.

[minnesotapaintlady]

Sept 19, 2023 18:44:21 GMT -5 finnime said:

That's horrible, minnesotapaintlady. I hope he stands trial and is found guilty by a jury. And that his family realizes just how much damage they have wrought.

Madeline's family just posted on Facebook that "unfortunately we don't know what is happening either". ☹

[NastyWoman]

Sept 19, 2023 10:34:28 GMT -5 daisylu said:

Yeah, my sister and I fought like cats and dogs when we were younger but I can not imagine either of us staying quiet if mom and dad were driving off without the other.

We wouldn't have had a chance. Mom obsessively counted us whenever we went anywhere. Get in the car, cross the street, on a walk, you name it -  she counted. Even when several of us were adults and had SOs she would count. She just upped the number from seven (her kids) to whatever number of us were along. 

[taz157]

Just finished putting DD2 to bed.  Logged onto side job #2's email to see if I have work.  I do.     Going to get the girls' lunches ready for tomorrow than work on side job #2.

Still thinking this will be the last year that I do side job #2. The extra money is nice, but it's tough working full time with an active 2 year old until it's her bedtime, then getting ready for the next day so I'm not rushing around in the morning. Also side job #2 has some internal management changes and it doesn't make it any easier than it did before so that helps in my decision too.

[TheOtherMe]

Sept 19, 2023 18:01:04 GMT -5 susana1954 said:

TheOtherMe , secretarial skills were considered vo-tech when I went to high school, and we are pretty much the same age.  I have always felt sorry for those who went to college to become "business teachers" back then.  Business classes were typing, shorthand, business law, and business English.  There may also have been a basic accounting course to prepare future bookkeepers.

Fast forward 20 years to the 1990s, and business teachers were expected to teach computer science courses as well as accounting.  No one took shorthand, and keyboarding was a mandatory course for 9th graders although you could test out.  A few teachers I knew couldn't make the transition.

My goal in high school was to be a business teacher, just like my teacher.  That would have been a rough change.  

The basketball coach only taught typing.  By then he was in administration but I'm sure he wasn't the only teacher in Des Moines who only taught typing.

[TheOtherMe]

Sept 19, 2023 18:03:35 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

Sept 19, 2023 17:54:19 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

When I was in high school, my guidance counselor and I figured out my college track classes for the rest of high school.  My parents had to sign off so I took it home.  

My dad refused to sign off because I wasn't pretty and would never get married.  I had to take shorthand and typing for two periods a day, which leaves little time to take the college track classes.

I never did forgive him for that but I did go to college and get my degree and used the degree to make my living.

We had a vo-tech high school, so a lot of kids split off to attend that after 9th grade and we mostly never saw them again.  

Little did my dad know, with his secretarial dreams for me, I would have been better off at that high school.

why couldn't your mother sign off for you? 

Both parents had to sign this form.  It was fine for mom to sign the report card, but not this one.  

I think this was a big enough deal that she would have talked it over with him.  I'm sure I gave the form to him.  They had probably discussed my "future" without talking to me.

[TheOtherMe]

Sept 19, 2023 18:11:32 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

My mom ended up on the secretary track. She became a transcriptist.

She could type over 100 wpm. I challenged her once to show how fast she could go. It was impressive.

If I tried to go that fast it would have been a bunch of random letters.

I think after I started working and typed about 6 hours a day, I was typing at least 100 wpm.  

My shorthand speed in high school was 200 wpm.  

The IRS really wanted me to become a certified stenographer.  I didn't have the self confidence to do that.  I was 17, 18 years old and certified stenographers had to testify in court.  My first job was with the criminal division.

[TheOtherMe]

Many of my male cousins who are my age worked in factories for their careers.  Places like Maytag, until it closed, Amana, Pella Windows, etc.  

All of them have had to retire before 65 because their bodies could no longer do the job.

[toomuchreality]

Sept 19, 2023 20:45:27 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

Sept 19, 2023 18:11:32 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

My mom ended up on the secretary track. She became a transcriptist.

She could type over 100 wpm. I challenged her once to show how fast she could go. It was impressive.

If I tried to go that fast it would have been a bunch of random letters.

I think after I started working and typed about 6 hours a day, I was typing at least 100 wpm.  

My shorthand speed in high school was 200 wpm.  

The IRS really wanted me to become a certified stenographer.  I didn't have the self confidence to do that.  I was 17, 18 years old and certified stenographers had to testify in court.  My first job was with the criminal division.

Wow. Impressive.

[raeoflyte]

giramomma - how much do you think additional private music lessons help? Ds is taking piano and cello right now. He asked tonight if he can add a 2nd weekly cello lesson. He's only been playing for a year and moving up to the high school has been a little rough on his ego. He practices some, but not a ton.

I really want to encourage him, but it's not cheap and I'm hyper aware of adding expenses right now. I told him I needed to think about it and that if I agreed I think it would come with required practice time for both cello and piano. But I'd hate for him to quit 1 of them because of those kinds of rules.

[toomuchreality]

Sept 19, 2023 23:00:31 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

giramomma - how much do you think additional private music lessons help? Ds is taking piano and cello right now. He asked tonight if he can add a 2nd weekly cello lesson. He's only been playing for a year and moving up to the high school has been a little rough on his ego. He practices some, but not a ton.

I really want to encourage him, but it's not cheap and I'm hyper aware of adding expenses right now. I told him I needed to think about it and that if I agreed I think it would come with required practice time for both cello and piano. But I'd hate for him to quit 1 of them because of those kinds of rules.

I always thought practicing was SO boring! Play the same thing, over and over, with no one listening to let you know if you played something wrong, or how to correct it. You just keep doing it that way, until your next lesson. (I played clarinet and piano, 1,000 yrs ago.)
Maybe consider adding a certain number of additional lessons, then evaluating his progress and interest again, afterward?
I really don't know. Just a thought. Good luck!

[finnime]

Good morning, diligent invisipeeps, tending your homes and work. Welcome to Wednesday. I hope your day is in the end a pleasure, one offering good memories in your future when you think back on Septembers you have known.

I know I'm up early even for me. I actually got up at 12:40, thinking it was 2:40 because I didn't see the "1" on the clock. I should just go back to sleep. I'd like to, but can't.

DD is going to be moving next door next week. Neighbor is off to her next adventures as of Friday. We're going to see her today so she can go over the house operations and quirks, and we can discuss anything unclear. I need to get her email address, too.

Soupandstew is really gone, then. I wish she weren't.

DH and I have initial PCP visits today, arranged in January or February. We have appointments with another PCP in November, too; one that is part of the practice that all of DH's doctors are in. Yesterday I was thinking about this and mentioned to DH we needed to take showers. He got PO'ed and stalked off to bed to listen to a ball game. He is feeling very mortal, I believe. I'm ticked that he jumped right to anger. I'm angry, too, but won't show it to him. He just wants to close his eyes and let everything happen, leaving me to plan it all. Including his surgery to put in the port for dialysis. I know that's what's eating him.

I took Franklin the Dog for a stroll. We went to the town wharf, and I got this shot. In another month or so virtually all the slips will be empty.

[toomuchreality]

Sept 20, 2023 1:20:18 GMT -5 finnime said:

Good morning, diligent invisipeeps, tending your homes and work. Welcome to Wednesday. I hope your day is in the end a pleasure, one offering good memories in your future when you think back on Septembers you have known.

I know I'm up early even for me. I actually got up at 12:40, thinking it was 2:40 because I didn't see the "1" on the clock. I should just go back to sleep. I'd like to, but can't.

DD is going to be moving next door next week. Neighbor is off to her next adventures as of Friday. We're going to see her today so she can go over the house operations and quirks, and we can discuss anything unclear. I need to get her email address, too.

Soup and stew is really gone, then. I wish she weren't.

DH and I have initial PCP visits today, arranged in January or February. We have appointments with another PCP in November, too; one that is part of the practice that all of DH's doctors are in. Yesterday I was thinking about this and mentioned to DH we needed to take showers. He got PO'ed and stalked off to bed to listen to a ball game. He is feeling very mortal, I believe. I'm ticked that he jumped right to anger. I'm angry, too, but won't show it to him. He just wants to close his eyes and let everything happen, leaving me to plan it all. Including his surgery to put in the port for dialysis. I know that's what's eating him.

I took Franklin the Dog for a stroll. We went to the town wharf, and I got this shot. In another month or so virtually all the slips will be empty.

Sorry, you're not resting. Even I noticed that you're up early.
I wish your DH didn't take his anger out on you.
Of course, it would be easier on him, if you just took care of everything. Then he could get angry about his situation, without taking responsibility for it. Who wouldn't prefer that?! It just isn't realistic. And even if you could/were taking care of everything, that would probably just upset him too. It sounds like a no-win situation.
I'm sorry.
Thank goodness, for Franklin.
Another fabulous picture! 😊
I hope your day goes well.

[toomuchreality]

I really hope soupandstew comes back. Sooner, rather than later.
♡

[bean29]

Sept 19, 2023 15:46:19 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

Sept 19, 2023 15:31:48 GMT -5 susana1954 said:

But did you want to be a garbage collector when you were 18 and someone talked you out of it?  Did you seriously think about being a plumber or an electrician?  If these were your goals and someone talked you out of them, you have my sympathy.  But I think you are looking back and seeing it much differently than it actually was.  

But if those were your goals and someone talked you out of them, shame on them!

I'm gonna make this about me for a hot second, but it fits with what you're saying here. where I went to HS, we also had a Voc Tech HS and one Catholic HS both within town lines. other VT/religious HSs were in the area, and plucked sports talent. but that's another story. anyway, an anecdote that sticks in my memory from 1992 was when my mom came home from a parents' orientation to HS and all she could talk about was how this one mother was horrified that her kid wanted to hit the Voc Tech HS and how could she convince him (I think it was a boy?) to come to the public HS. my mother, who I could tell stories about for days....., my mother got up and asked the woman something about would she please convince her daughter to not go to the public school and go to the Catholic HS.   for effing real. y'all know me now, I'm not shy. back then? I was still respectful when people tried to shove their religious crap down my throat. not a shot in hell I was going to that Catholic HS!   but it's funny how certain things are important to certain people. as another aside - the highly competitive university where I earned my degree, my announcement to my HS guidance counselor that this place was my 1st choice was met with snark. and yet, I don't think I'd be accepted as an incoming freshman with the solid grades I had back then. 

but, back to that kid - what was so wrong about the Voc Tech route? I worked with a brilliant HVAC engineer about 10y ago when I was still doing process automation. he had a full 4yr Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering, built on a HS diploma from a different-area Voc Tech HS for HVAC maintenance. education is what you make of it, and it's a tool to use in finding your way to becoming a successful and productive member of society. I realize now that my mom was trying to avoid her daughters having to physically work like my dad has his entire life, but a step right instead of left doesn't tie you to that path for your life. and I think that was lost on a lot of people when we were growing up. 

I have a relative with a Vo-Tech Education Undergraduate and a Masters in Principalship (maybe double masters idk) but he makes over 100k(Sorry that was a typo I had 200 in error)/yr. Schools are so desperate for Tec/Ed teachers another relative was just offered 75,000 + 5,000 signing bonus, which sadly they passed on due to family medical needs. He is advising his younger sister go tec ed + some kind of emphasis in art ed to teach the 3d printing stuff. He said the people that know the 3D printing can’t always envision what the forms they are creating with the 3D printer need to look like, so that it would be a good combo. She wanted to go for Art Education and was afraid there would be no opportunity.

[raeoflyte]

My other grandmother who had her PhD and retired into teaching spent years teaching at the vo-tech so I can't see that word without hearing her very strong accent. It makes me smile.

[giramomma]

Sept 19, 2023 23:00:31 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

giramomma - how much do you think additional private music lessons help? Ds is taking piano and cello right now. He asked tonight if he can add a 2nd weekly cello lesson. He's only been playing for a year and moving up to the high school has been a little rough on his ego. He practices some, but not a ton.

I really want to encourage him, but it's not cheap and I'm hyper aware of adding expenses right now. I told him I needed to think about it and that if I agreed I think it would come with required practice time for both cello and piano. But I'd hate for him to quit 1 of them because of those kinds of rules.

I think it depends.

What kind of music is your kiddo playing in HS? Like, is he doing doing a full movement from Beethoven 5 or is he doing a transcribed version of a movement that's easier?

Does he have posture issues?

If your kiddo has posture issues, then I might suggest lessons twice a week for a while. Meaning, he's not holding his bow correctly, and/or his left hand needs corrections.

When I do meet and greets with my students, I set very few ground rules. One of them is related to practice. In HS, I would expect 20 minutes of practicing 4-5 times a week, minimum. I'm good. And if my kiddos don't put the work in, at some point, we need to re-evaluate if lessons are appropriate. No one likes doing the same thing for 6 weeks.

How often does orchestra meet?

Here are some other random thoughts, for now.

1) Some kids don't like practicing alone. Can your DS find someone in orchestra to have a practice play date with? It doesn't even have to be cello. One of my best friends was a violist. We had a great time practicing together.

2) Along that same theme, can you find a College kid that would be willing to practice with your son? I haven't raised my rates in forever. If they are what they should be, a college kid would run less than half of what I do.

3) I would try to remove as many barriers as possible. Can they read their music well enough? Do they know how to find the notes on their instrument? Do they have pulse issues (can they keep a steady beat)? Do they understand rhythm (two different skills, btw).   These things affect playing, but aren't directly learning the music on the page. What other skills does your DS need to be successful (shifting, comes to mind at that stage). Does your kiddo understand theory and how music is put together? Life is easier when playing through Beethoven if we can look at a measure and say "oh, thats a scale" and then just play it.

Do they have some understanding of styles related to musical era. How we play bach is different from Mozart, which is different from Beethoven, etc.

4) Has your teacher taught your child how to practice efficiently?

In my neck of the woods, music is still very much an upper middle class/wealthy activity. Which also means the kids in HS are in sports, taking all advanced courses, doing music, and also doing other things like volunteering. You might imagine the kids have roughly 4 minutes a day to practice.

So, I have to teach them how to practice efficiently, in the same way one teaches a kid to study efficiently.

At a minimum:

1- starting at the top and playing through the whole piece only is good when you first get a piece of music and when you are polishing. It's wasteful when you need to address the parts that you can't play.

2-DS should be marking the parts that are giving him grief. And he should practice those places. You can get a lot of repetition done in 10 minutes...which is all that could be needed for mastery. And to prove my point, during a lesson, we'll practice a spot. And I will time it. And the conversation goes like this "OK. It took you 45 seconds to work on that one spot. You've already done it 3 times for me, and it's improved. I think it would take you 5-6 reps to get this part. And literally, it will take you 5 minutes to work on. I know you can find 5 minutes in a day.

I tell my kids, when you are hard core studying for a test, do you study the stuff you know, or the stuff you don't know/stuff that is giving you grief. They usually say "I study the stuff  don't know." Why would you do anything different for music?

In HS, the kids are old enough to understand the nuances between reviewing and studying something they don't know.

3- We practice with a purpose. Just running through something to run through it doesn't help. What do we need to pay attention to? Pitch? Bowing? Rhythm? Style?  That's what i have the kids focus on, when they are ironing out their spots. Music requires you to use like 157 skills at once. Sometimes, we can't do that, and have to go to basics. 

Practicing with a purpose also means that also your DS can troubleshoot. I can work with a kid who can tell they are playing out of tune. I can give them tips on how to check pitch for a couple different fingers. That's usually enough to ensure their hand is set up. There's also other tricks I have for playing in tune/awareness of that. 

Can a kid use a metronome? That's a whole other thing that can help. Also a skill.

I also teach my kids to stop immediately when they do something incorrect. Reinforcing the wrong thing just makes life harder. Once we've learned something the wrong way, we have to un learn it and learn it the right way. Which takes more time. (A point, they get, by how long it takes me to explain the difference of learning it correctly vs incorrectly)

I structure my lessons so that part of the lesson is spent going through exactly how and what I want my kids to practice. For newer kids, I remind them. I just spent a half hour going through how I want you to practice over the course of the week. Not only do I make notes, but we also take a minute to verbalize what we accomplished.

That was alot. I apologize if it is too much/overwhelming.

[giramomma]

I think that was quite possibly the longest post ever.

[raeoflyte]

Sept 20, 2023 6:45:50 GMT -5 giramomma said:

I think that was quite possibly the longest post ever.

I love it! I can't reply to it right now - but it's very helpful!

[taz157]

Sept 20, 2023 6:45:50 GMT -5 giramomma said:

I think that was quite possibly the longest post ever.

That was an awesome post!! Thank you! I need DD1 to practice her violin and it gave me some things to go over with her.

[azucena]

Gira - love that post. You're clearly a very good teacher!

[andi9899]

Sept 19, 2023 17:54:19 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

When I was in high school, my guidance counselor and I figured out my college track classes for the rest of high school.  My parents had to sign off so I took it home.  

My dad refused to sign off because I wasn't pretty and would never get married.  I had to take shorthand and typing for two periods a day, which leaves little time to take the college track classes.

I never did forgive him for that but I did go to college and get my degree and used the degree to make my living.

We had a vo-tech high school, so a lot of kids split off to attend that after 9th grade and we mostly never saw them again.  

Little did my dad know, with his secretarial dreams for me, I would have been better off at that high school.

That just pisses me off. I know not everyone has parents that back their kid no matter what, but I just don't understand it. How can you create this person and not be there for them at all times?! I feel bad for people that don't have that.