Hey Teacher Friend,

I have to tell you, I am genuinely relieved to start a new week, because last week was a bit of a doozy for me. And I do not mean that in the good sense. My family got hit with the virus that I shall not name, and this time it really knocked us down.

I thought I would simply move a few students to asynchronous lessons and power through the week with no physical contact.

But by Monday evening it was obvious. My plan for asynchronous lessons was not going to happen. I could barely stay awake, let alone put together a coherent video for my students. I could have turned to pre-recorded lesson projects, but with an evaluation and recital so close, I knew my students already had enough on their plates.

Thankfully, I had a Flex Week already built into my studio calendar, and I ended up using it.

If you do not have Flex Weeks, please let this be your reminder. Flex Weeks are your paid sick time!

When you get hit with the unexpected and have nothing to do but drift in and out of Netflix in a half-coherent state, you do not need to worry about a pile of makeups or last minute video lessons or powering through online lessons when you are absolutely miserable.

You simply rest. You still get paid. You are not taking advantage of your students. You are honoring the systems you set in place.

If you need a refresher or want to start building Flex Weeks into your own studio, head back to my episodes on Flex Weeks:

​The Raise You Didn't Know You Needed: Episode 048​

​Make-Up Lesson Madness: Episode 055​

This week marks the start of one of my favorite teaching traditions: Christina Whitlock’s annual Studio Teacher Thanksgiving!

Every day she sends a short note and a video with a simple reminder of something to be thankful for in our teaching lives. When you reply back to her, you get entered in her daily giveaway.

Today’s giveaway is my very own Teaching Philosophy Template, which is available for ten dollars in my teacher resources, but will go to one lucky winner from her list.

I love this tradition because my Teaching Philosophy Template was actually inspired by the very first piano teacher podcast I ever listened to, which was Christina’s episode on teacher philosophy. It is full circle for me every single year. If you want to join in, you can sign up for the rest of Teacher Thanksgiving Week Here!​

A special THANK YOU to TopMusic for inviting me to write an article on studio policies.

If you did not know it, TopMusic offers a free monthly magazine filled with practical advice and inspiration from teachers around the world. This month’s issue focuses on one of my favorite topics, which is streamlining your studio. It is such a good one. You will find articles from Amy Chaplin, Victoria Clark, Nicole Stackhouse, and many more teachers who share ideas that actually make studio life easier.

I also want to thank Ashley Danyew for her incredible Practice Workshop last week. She continues to pour so much wisdom into our teaching community. If you want her monthly newsletter, scroll to the bottom of her home page (find it here and be sure to check out the juicy bits first) and subscribe!

I hope your week is off to a gentler start than mine was. And if not, I hope this reminds you that our teaching is not held together by perfection. It is held together by consistency, intention, and giving ourselves space to be human.

Have a fabulous week!