Finding focus
My son has been having hour-long cello lessons for the last year. His new teacher wants him to do half-hour lessons. She says a cellist must learn to approach the craft with focus and intensity. She says he first needs to learn to sustain it for a half-hour. I want that approach for everything he does, and for everything I do, too. But I can’t help thinking that we could sidestep the labors toward intensity by popping an Adderall before the lesson.
Spent some time reading your Adderall posts — especially about how it may reduce boredom and thus creativity.
Related to that — I just heard somewhere that kids on anti-anxiety meds are less sensitive to injustice, in experimental conditions. Can’t find a link to it now, unfortunately.
But that worries me. All this medicating… what terrible side effects might there be?
Is Adderall anything like a 5-hour energy shot? Which, by the way, are AWESOME.
I’m with your current teacher – at your kids age, 1/2 hour should be plenty for them to try to keep their attention focused. As a former homeschooling mom, though, I should tell you that I tended toward the “Charlotte Mason” method – and Charlotte recommended lots of outdoor free time and very short (10 minute) lessons for the primary years.
If he loves playing, is it really a”labor” of intensity?
Just because we love something doesn’t mean it’s not hard. There’s actually great reasearch – in the book, Flow — that shows that we cannot fully engage with something if it is not challenging to us.
It’s difficult to something challenging day after day. It’s why I have him do it now, when he’s a kid. So he sees the payoff. I think one of the most widespread problems with adults is they cannot see the value in doing something very challenging a little bit each day, for the bigger payoff. Most people only do challenging stuff they are paid to do.
Also, if you think you have to adore something to do it every day, you’ll do nothing. I love writing and it’s hard to do it every day, even now. And I’ve heard this is true for almost all writers. When you get great at something there is less worry that it will be hard to do but more worry that it will be hard to do in a great way.
Penelope
“I think one of the most widespread problems with adults is they cannot see the value in doing something very challenging a little bit each day, for the bigger payoff.”
agree. people can’t make sacrifices in the short term for a long-term payoff. this is why they can’t save money, they can’t build up a steady side business, etc. they just sit on the couch and think about doing things.
Does your son have ADHD? Otherwise it seems a little bit hard core to make your son an amphetamine addict just so he can be good at cello. Tiger Mom has nothing on you! ;)
oh I read it as if the meds were for her! lol
Karelys, I also read it as being the meds were for Penelope but I had to read the sentence more than once!