How to Help the Shy One in Class
How to Help the Shy One in Class
Saraya is one of the quiet girls in my Tuesday 4:00pm class. She’s naturally shy but she’s got a lot going on. When I challenge her, she always rises to the occasion. The last months of school she got quite buried in her AP classes and exams, so I offered her a longer-term project that produced a masterpiece.
Saraya’s mom passed the week of her 13th birthday, just days before starting high school. It was a very difficult time in her life, for sure. But, she kept up with piano of her own accord. This was awesome because not many young teens own the discipline to practice and show up for lessons. Saraya did though, so I was excited to help her see how her progress has provided more opportunities for her. When I gave her this big assignment, it was open ended, something she could take a few months on, maybe moving into summer, to complete.
Music Video for the Win
Her challenge for this long-reaching project was to make a music video. Using her piano music as the audio, she could decide on music she’s previously learned, so the project would be easier. But as I mentioned, shy Saraya totally rises to the occasion.
After considering dozens of ideas for her music video, she decided to play the music she and her mother loved together so she could make a video of pictures of her with her mother. Neither of us had the music she needed, so she spent time finding and gathering it. Despite long study days for school, she practiced 5 different pieces. Then she worked on a medley, ultimately using 4 of these pieces. She recorded them and then starting selecting pictures and worked on the video next.
Saraya finished it just before Mother’s day. It’s a gem. I got to watch Saraya grow up and become a beautiful young (high school) woman listening to Christian music they both loved together. It was a gift for her siblings, her aunts, Grandparents and especially her father. I’m pretty sure students don’t remember all the help I try to give them as their teacher, but I’m confident this student will remember her own project with all the tenderness of her heart now, and as she grows into her future.
