My partner teaches private music lessons.  He’s a great musician and teacher and he is able to connect with the kids.  Through the years many of his students have become good musicians themselves but he has a couple of kids that he’s been teaching in the last two years that have not improved much.  Being conscientious and feeling guilty that he was not doing a good job with the two kids and still taking their money, he approached the parents and said  that he might not be the best teacher for them.  The parents refused to stop the music lessons and told him not to worry about it.

He was very perplexed about their decision to keep him around.  When he told me about this situation, I realized that the parents were not paying him for the music lessons anymore but instead wanted him to continue because he was a good role model for their kids.

I had a piano teacher when I was 8-10 years old.  Every Sunday I would come to her house for an hour and make noise (yes, noise).  In the 3 years I was her student all I learned to play was Chopsticks.  This was not her fault as I have no finger dexterity, to this day I type with only two fingers.  But even knowing that I’d never be able to play another tune on the keys, my mom continued to pay my teacher for her time.  Why?  I was a difficult kid and not very likable.  Not many adults were nice to me and so when my mom found one who treated me with respect and kindness, she decided to keep paying for the lessons despite my lack of improvement.  In my mom’s mind my teacher’s real job was to be a big sister to me.

Being a parent now myself, I realize how hard it is to find a positive role model for your kids to look up to. So, when you find one you try to keep them around.  Even if it costs $60 an hour.