Success sparks a passion for learning. A student’s capability in one way of learning affects his attitude toward others. And your student–in fact, every child–owns that potential.
When our music teacher discovers a student’s natural sensitivity to sound and rhythm, she doesn’t just help him succeed in the band, at song-writing, at mixing and recording his original tunes. They talk about his dreams:
to start his own jazz band and to teach music. “I’m not sure I’d do that great in college, though,” he says, “I hate writing. I’m really bad at it.” At close-knit Leelanau, his teachers create assignments that build on his strengths: read the best poets, write song lyrics using concrete language to express feelings, teach a new student how to play the guitar by writing out lessons, include favorite musicians in a historical time-line to see who their political and literary contemporaries were. Soon, he’s writing a college admission essay. His topic? Kerouac and making music in language.
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