Got a Secret, Can You Keep It?

My home studio recently did away with the practice of not publishing teachers' schedules. When we'd get calls asking, "Who's teaching the 5:30 today?" we used to respond with, "We don't have a fixed teacher schedule, but we do have a 5:30 class." One evening, a regular even handed me a schedule card and asked me to cross out the times a particular teacher taught. Now the schedule is posted online and on the bulletin board in the studio.

I know that most studios make their schedules available and that our studio is just catering to the preferences of its students. Still, I prefer the old system. Sure, that's easy for me to say--I'm a workstudy with access to the schedule. But this new arrangement opens the door to favoritism, attachment, and avoidance. In my pre-workstudy days, I remember asking for teacher times regularly. Sometimes I, too, wanted to dodge a pushier teacher in favor of a more Kumbaya class. They'd never tell me, though, and eventually I had to let go of the need to know. Now the pushier teachers are some of my favorites!

We form attachments so readily--to class times, teachers, spots in the room--and the perpetual quest for control can become pretty exhausting. Meanwhile, it's surprisingly liberating to surrender to these externalities and focus instead on managing our reactions. Easier said than done? You betcha!

Sure, there are probably some teachers with whom we connect more than others--specific teachers we find particularly inspiring. But every teacher has something to offer, even if its just a test of our patience!