Gummy worms for dinner?

Natalie has her own ideas. Lots of them.

As her teacher, I have choices. Lots of them.

I could:

Tell her she’s wrong.

Force her to sing the lyrics I wrote to Graduation Day from the Piano Town Primer. They’re perfectly serviceable words. In writing her own lyrics, though, she had to grapple with the rhythmic constraints of the music. She’d learned the piece correctly, so she had to stop and really think about what words would fit together with the rhythm.

Criticize her lyrics because they’re silly and fun and filled with whimsy.

Embrace her brilliant creativity and we could both have a zippy afternoon.

Obviously, I chose the latter.

When your students show their opinions, preferences and personalities, how do you respond?

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