True Teachers

[michi]

I just came across this, which I rather liked:

True teachers are those who use themselves as bridges over which they invite their students to cross; then, having facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create their own.

--Nikos Kazantzakis, poet and novelist (1883-1957)

Cheers,

Michi.

[atam]

Nietzsche said something like: The first thing that a teacher should do is to warn his students against himself.

I think the bridge is extremely important for it connects. But the bridge should never become addicted to this importance of his own. Which is easy to happen, especially with such a powerful instrument like djembe is.

A friend of mine once said, the djembe is incarnated ego. I think this ego should shine not rule. And if to rule, then just naturally, through its shine.

OK, sorry, a bit of poetry

[bubudi]

that reminds me of the words of kahlil gibran:

the teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind.

[bubudi]

another one by thomas carruthers:

a teacher is one who makes himself progressively unnecessary.

[atam]

Most of the various great teachers I met in any field had one thing in common - humility. And rare natural authority, perhaps comming from this combination of mastership and humility.

I think the real teacher is somehow deeply aware and grateful for being gifted his skills and passing it on is a way (bridge) to say thank YOU.

And one more:

The greatness of a master cannot be measured by the number of his students, but by the number of masters he trained up.

[drdjembe]

yes, to teach is to love, everything and everyone, we never refuse a student because he cannot "learn", we have to teach him correctly, and that's the problem of the teacher.
as well, the more we give the more we get, african music is not our, we are a bridge, we have to give everything, the problem is what, when, how, in a fun way so we raise joy in our hearts.
we love this music for all the aspects it brings us, we are available to pass it to whoever shows interests in it, or can be helped by it for his life.
anyway to teach is a great lesson ( and fun too )
so i shall follow the path erasing myself and get to heaven...

[archetypo]

Some great quotes here! I got this one from my teacher of meditation & healing but I think it applies equally here:

"When the student is ready, a teacher will come. When the teacher is ready, the students will come."

I find my teaching is always much more effective when I am open to learning from the students as much as possible. If I approach it with a rigid idea of what people have to learn and how they're going to learn it, I'm doomed to fail, because you never know what students will bring you from one day to the next. So I try to remain flexible and let my class structure be guided mostly by the students themselves, while maintaining an overall focus on whatever aspect of traditional teaching seems most appropriate in the moment, whether it's a specific rhythm, phrasing, or technique work.