Category: Words of Wisdom

Words of Wisdom

Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom

Joy Morin

“Education is a natural process carried out by the child and is not acquired by listening to words but by experiences in the environment.”

– Maria Montessori

I’ve been reading recently about Maria Montessori and Montessori philosophy, and am fascinated by it! She must have been quite a person, being the first female physician in Italy and founder of “Casa dei bambini” (“Children’s House”) for underprivileged children aged 3-7 in Rome in 1907. Her work has since inspired educators and school founders for decades.

Maria Montessori’s ideas resonate well with what others have to say about learning, which has been so cool to discover! Here’s a great Montessori quote that reminds us that learning is not about listening to words. Learning comes about through EXPERIENCES created in a thoughtful environment.

What are some ways YOUR students learn not through words but through experiences in their learning environment?

Words of Wisdom

Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom

Joy Morin

“I’m still learning.” –Michelangelo

This quote is remarkable, especially coming from such a great artist and as his last words!

So, let’s talk about this quote. I, for one, want to never stop learning! You too? How do we continue learning as teachers? And how can we nurture our students to adopt this outlook, too?

Here are some of the points you’ll hear in the video below:

  • How we can position ourselves as coaches, working alongside students, so they are experiencing a certain level of independence during the learning process. It’s not about transferring certain knowledge from our brains into theirs; it’s about helping them grow their own knowledge.
  • We teachers don’t always know everything. 🙂 I think it’s great when we can admit this to students, and explore solutions together!
  • I tell the story of a teacher of mine who was always working to improve his teaching, and how inspiring that was to me when I was a teen.

Video links: YouTube | (Facebook link coming soon — Facebook has been having technical glitches all day today!)

I hope you enjoyed the video! For more videos, check out the playlist here.

P.S.: Looking for a way to purpose your professional development? I’ve got two ideas for you! 1: My upcoming session of my online course, Excellence in Piano Teaching. Learn more here. 2: My three-day Piano Teacher Retreat this summer, held at my home in Northwest Ohio. I’d love to have you be part of it! Learn more here.

Words of Wisdom

Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom

Joy Morin

“In every job that must be done there is an element of fun.”

–Mary Poppins

Forgive me for sharing this quote/image once before already, but I decided to get on track for posting the video alongside the quote in the same week — rather than creating a video for the previous week’s quote. So, I’m posting the quote again, this time with the related video below. 🙂

So, let’s talk about this quote: “In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun.” –Mary Poppins. How can we apply this to piano teaching? What does “fun” in piano lesson settings look like?

Video links: YouTube | Facebook

For more videos, check out the playlist here.

P.S.: Let me know if you’d like me to consider making more of this kind of video!

Words of Wisdom

Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom

Joy Morin

“In every job that must be done there is an element of fun.”

–Mary Poppins

P.S.: I recently made a short video discussing the quote from last time: “A fiery, good beginner always stands higher than a master in mediocrity.” —Robert Schumann.” Click here to watch it, and please let me know if you’d like me to consider making more of this kind of video!