TITLE: Teaching the Perfect Class, Again
AUTHOR: Eugene Wallingford
DATE: April 07, 2012  7:08 PM
DESC: 
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BODY:
Some days, I walk out of the classroom thinking, "Well,
that didn't go the way I wanted."  I'm aware of
everything I did wrong, and my mind begins swirling
with ideas for next time -- both the next class
session and the next time I teach the course.  I won't
make the same mistakes again, or so I think.

Other days are just the opposite.  The stars aligned,
and the session seemed to have gone perfectly.  My
questions provoked discussion.  My examples caused
every head to nod in appreciation.  My jokes brought
laughs, not eye rolls.

Ironically, those days are harder to follow.  There is
a temptation to try to repeat perfection, but that
rarely works.  Whenever I try, my timing seems off.
When my questions, examples, and jokes don't elicit the
same responses as the first time, I am confused.   I
end up trying too hard.

Teachers aren't the only people who face this problem.
In
<A HREF="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/19/science/19brain.html">
   this article</A>
about the science of music meeting the mind, Yo-Yo Ma
describes why there are no immutable laws for expressive
performance:

<BLOCKQUOTE><EM>
"Every day I'm a slightly different person," Mr. Ma said.
"The instrument, which is sensitive to weather and humidity
changes, will act differently.  There's nothing worse than
playing a really a great concert and the next day saying,
'I'm going to do exactly the same thing.'  It always falls
flat."
</EM></BLOCKQUOTE>

Most of the time, it is easier to fix broken things than it
is to improve on good ones.  Brokenness gives us cues about
what to do next.  Wholeness doesn't.  Trying to repeat
perfection in a world that always changes usually leaves
us dissatisfied.

So:  Treat each performance, each class session, as a chance
to create, not maintain.  Use ideas that have worked in the
past, of course, but use them to <EM>create something new</EM>,
not to try to re-create something that no longer exists.

Fortunately for me, I have far more imperfect days than
perfect ones.
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