This isn't school. You're a grownup now. Give yourself an A if you really want one.

You get out of it what you put into it — and you get to decide what that is going to look like.

There is no "I didn't finish last time," or "I can't keep up with everyone else." It's not a race. It's not a contest. There is no scorekeeper, and there's no score.

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“If you’re in such a hurry, why don’t you ride your bike instead of walking it?”

“I don’t have time to stop and get on!”

I don’t remember where I heard or saw this joke, but it has stuck with me for decades. And I think of it often as a teacher and coach. What is it that causes so many of us to do things the hard way, pushing through without the necessary information or resources?

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Béla Bartók’s Mikrokosmos is a collection of over 150 progressive piano pieces, meaning that each one introduces a new element, making it slightly more challenging than the one before it. I guess Bartók wrote the first couple of volumes for his son, who was learning to play the piano.

When I first learned of Mikrokosmos, I was intrigued. I love progressive educational material in any subject, even though the pacing usually needs to be adjusted by supplementing with additional resources. It’s satisfying to think that someone has carefully curated a learning program and created something that flows easily from concept to concept, skill to skill. Plus, I enjoyed the Bartók pieces I played myself as a child — bold, memorable, and full of surprises. This could be great!

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My team and I teach our students to create their own learning plans.

It’s exciting to empower them to make their own decisions about pacing. For instance, if they want to finish an algebra textbook by April 1, they might realize that they have to do two hours outside of class each weekday. When this “homework” is self-administered and in the service of a goal, they are much more enthusiastic about it.

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Every aspiring classical pianist wants to learn to play Beethoven’s “Für Elise.” Some two hundred years after its composition, it’s still irresistible. And the good news is that the well-known theme is very simple. The harmony consists of only four chords, meaning that it can be taught by rote. The hands don’t play together very much — they just overlap. In other words, you can show someone how to play it even if they don’t read music and don’t have a lot of experience.

What many people don’t realize is that “Für Elise” has two other themes that are lesser known than the iconic A-section. These parts are not for beginners.

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