the funny thing is...

I feel like by quitting teaching, I'm doing something for my students. Or more specifically, in their honor. I've been inspired by their youthful optimism to look at life in the same way.
So:

This is for Kalena, the 7-year-old diva.
This is for Simrita, way too smart and funny for her age. (the popular way to remember the notes that correspond with the lines of the bass clef is "Good Boys Deserve Fudge Always". She came up with "George Bush Didn't Free Afghanistan."
This is for Lexi, who loves any song in a minor key, despite her sunny disposition.
This is for Talen, don't let your talent overwhelm you, it overwhelms the rest of us!
This is for all the kids who made me teach them "Smoke on the Water". You are about to rock, and I salute you. This is for every crazy weird little kid who acted like him or herself because you didn't know how to do it differently - I'm learning, slowly, to do what you do naturally.