A month or so ago, I wrote a blog post called All the Right Notes. In the post, I shared how the composer, Muzio Clementi, was a titan in his day and that he had even mentored Beethoven. But unlike Clementi, who played all the right notes in all the right places, Beethoven broke the rules and became a legend in his field. Some of the feedback I received on the post, was that I had discounted how great a composer Clementi was. One person noted that every serious piano player was familiar with his work. Even my daughter let me know that I “really dissed the guy”. I started thinking that maybe I was looking at Clementi, the composer, through the wrong lens.
As an educator and former coach, my ultimate goal is that my students or athletes reach their full potential. I don’t want them to be as good as I am, but to surpass me. The more successful they are, the more successful I am. As educators, we always base our success on what our students do and not what we are doing. Looking through the lens of a mentor and teacher, Clementi was the true hero of the story. He provided the foundation and encouragement that allowed his student to reach incredible heights. We must never forget that behind every successful person is someone who taught, encouraged, and believed in them. Many times, that person is a teacher!
Blogging has always been a great way for me to organize my thoughts, share my beliefs, and hopefully inspire other educators. In this case, it also was a vehicle for me to get feedback that stretched my thinking and prompted me to look at things through a new lens. I still admire Beethoven for breaking the rules and not playing all the right notes, but I have a newfound admiration for Clementi who as a mentor and teacher inspired greatness in his student. That’s what all great educators do!
“A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning.” – Brad Henry
“Of all the hard jobs around, one of the hardest is being a good teacher.” – Maggie Gallagher
“Teachers can change lives with just the right mix of chalk and challenges.” – Joyce Meyer
- Monday, November 5: Celebrate Monday Assembly 9:05 AM (GRIT)
- Tuesday, November 6: Professional Development Day 8:00-11:00 & 12:30-3:30 PM
- Wednesday, November 7: Furniture Committee 8:15 AM, Elementary Principals Meeting 1:00-4:30 PM
- Thursday, November 8: Staff Meeting with special guest speaker 8:05 AM, Barnes & Noble Book Fair 5:30-7:30 PM
- Monday, November 12: Celebrate Monday Assembly 9:05 AM
- Tuesday, November 13: REED (Pisko) 8:15 AM
- Wednesday, November 14: REED (Trantham) 8:15 AM, Lock Down Drill 2:00 PM, PTA Board Meeting 2:30 PM
- Thursday, November 15: Collaborative Learning Time 7:50-8:50 AM, Jon to ABC Negotiations 1:30 PM
- Wednesday, November 21 – Friday, November 23: Thanksgiving Break
The Spark of Learning 
Poor Clementi…his issues with Beethoven and his issues with Mozart. He and Mozart had a turf war over who was the best musician in Vienna. Clementi was a genius writing piano music, but lacked the “emotion” to bring it to life while Mozart seemed to have both. Perhaps because he was most likely ADD! Clementi is someone who had the “it” factor, but was never in the right place at the right time.
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