i taught the cutest students yesterday! i teach at this elementary school in a really poor neighborhood in cleveland and was the first time seeing these kids since break and it was so much fun! i have this one student named De'Jon and he told me that all they were doing in their classroom music class was "up and down bows" and they hadn't played any notes all semester. i asked him if it was boring and he said, "no. i don't care if i just do up and down bows all year. i have fun." it was so cute. then i have this new student, anna, in fourth grade, who just got transfered to this school because the charter school she had earned her way into two years ago had to close down due to budget cuts. she didn't want to take her jacket off because some kids had made fun of here shirt, which of course breaks my heart, and she is having a really hard time adjusting to this school. but at the end of the lesson she looked at me and said, "well maybe i can like this school better because it has violin lessons." so cute!!!! i love these kids and i think it really sucks that they can't even get good materials for their science classes let alone good violins and bows. i don't think it's fair that their charter schools close and they have to transfer in the middle of the year. but at least there are a couple kids who really like these music lessons and really appreciate them and i can feel like i can make a teeny tiny difference in their weeks.