Random Thoughts

I have a confession to make.

I skipped work today. I could have gone. I should have gone.

But I didn't.

And MAN, OH MAN did it feel good!

I came home early from school yesterday and slept...just wasn't feeling great. I woke up this morning feeling "blah" again, so I called in. And then I slept some more.

I managed to make it to rehearsal tonight, which brings me to my random thoughts writings...

Sometimes I wonder what I can do differently to make things better. Wait, I know...that's a pretty broad statement. I want the band to be all it can be...all I know it can be. I'm struggling with how to get them to that point.

I went to a leadership workshop with some of my leaders this past Saturday and the speaker said something that makes a lot of sense to me. He said that, as a teacher, he can fix wrong notes, bad posture, incorrect marching technique, and a host of other things, but he can't fix "I don't care." It's kind of like the adage that you can "bring a horse to water, but you can't make him drink." I can't motivate students to excel more than they choose to excel.

The only thing standing between them and greatness is them.

I've done the "heart to heart" talks, I've threatened them with bad grades, not marching Friday's game, and begged them to do more. Some do, some don't. What makes the difference? I wish I knew. (But then again, I'd have the monopoly on what makes a teenager "tick," and WHO on earth wants THAT???)

We have 20 more hours of rehearsal until our first competition. We need to learn 20 pages of drill in that time. The time has come to move.