SUSIE MALLETT

My visitors today

Thursday 20 January 2011

The need for soothing each other's souls

"Does he work magic too?"
Wanchai, Hong Kong, December 2010


I have been thoroughly enjoying working with my new, young colleague Évi and also delighted that, when I am working elsewhere, or hopping on a plane to Hong Kong, the work in my home town does not have to stop.

Évi is doing a wonderful job

Évi is doing such a wonderful job with her individual sessions for little ones, while working alongside me with the no-longer-little ones and with the adults, as well as lending a hand over in the Kindergarten whenever needed, that I often forget that she is young and not as experienced as I am. Sometimes she needs some help and that is what I am there for.

We had a week or two of difficult days, with lots of new experiences for us all and not a lot of time to speak about them or to care for our conductive souls. I often went home with thoughts whizzing around my head, and so did Évi.

We eventually found an hour to spare between children and adult clients, to talk about it all. Then today, when all of a sudden we had a group of one, Évi was able to sit down with her notebook to watch me at work.

She had lots of questions for me and Little Princess and it was really good for us to answer them together.

Little Princess had questions of her own

“Why is Évi sitting watching us?” was one of them.

I explained that it is similar to if she would go to watch the fifteen-year-olds at school. She would learn a lot from them just by observing their lessons or even their break-times. I told her this is what Évi was doing. I explained that as Évi has not worked with children for as long as I have that it is important for her to watch me work so she could learn and ask us questions along the way. It is easier to do this when there is not so much going on, when we have a little bit more time for her and her questions. I explained that I needed Little Princess to help me to teach Évi lots of new things.

Little Princess nodded her knowing nod and continued to worked her hardest so that our Évi had a lot to think about.

I loved it as much as Little Princess did. It is like starting my blog all over again.

In my newly published little book I wrote that through writing my blog, and consequently my book, I have gained better understanding of my work. Well, this is also exactly how it is when I am teaching young conductors like Évi too, and this is the greatest benefit for me in having Évi working beside me.

It is great to be questioned and then to search for the answers, or to find the answers together. It is a great experience for us all when our clients, however young or old they are, try to answer Évi’s questions too.

It has been a hard start to the year but today was wonderful. A morning when the team-work worked, with all three conductors working together like clockwork, even if sometimes a fast clock, and then Little Princess and I learning from Évi’s observations this afternoon.

Oh yes, there was also that magic twist of a screw in the splints that allowed for the six steps to be stepped. We must not forget that!

http://www.susie-mallett.org/2011/01/six-steps-is-it-magic.html

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