A Lesson Learned

Recently my daughter, Julia, told me that for her music lesson in school, they just watched Tom and Jerry cartoons because of the Standards of Learning tests. The goal appeared to be to keep the school quiet for those taking the tests. Needless to say, I was none too happy.

However, I have since learned there was a music lesson behind this. I was happy to hear it. The music teacher said that during that week, students were given the opportunity to observe two classical music performances in animated form. The Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saens performed by Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck and the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 by Franz Liszt performed by Tom and Jerry. In the Carnival of the Animals the animation is interspersed with a live orchestra. The Hungarian Rhapsody provides a view of the inner workings of a piano. How creative on the music teacher’s part.

During that lesson the school counselor talked about careers including what a conductor does and what equipment is needed for certain jobs.

I wish I knew that before getting myself upset over my daughter just watching cartoons, I have should investigated further. Looks like this mom learned a lesson. This is one lesson to keep in mind for next school year. Teachers sometimes have a method to their madness even if it is not obvious.

Then it made me wonder that my daughter learned something and was not aware of it. My first thought was that she should be made aware that she learned something to emphasize learning is fun. She often refers to school as a “learning dungeon.”

However, on second thought I realized perhaps that does not always need to be the case. That it is okay for them to learn something and not be aware they are actually learning. Perhaps that type of learning will make Julia feel that school is not just a place to learn, but a place to learn and have fun.