An unexpected source once praised my middle school orchestra's endeavors. During eighth grade computer class, Mr. C., who taught primarily shop classes, started a class by saying, "We had a concert here last night, and one of your classmates, Andrew, was in it. The orchestra played so well, I was very impressed, and I think that we ought to have a game day because of it."
I hadn't expected such enthusiastic feedback from the shop-turned-computer-class teacher. Although there was no logical connection between a successful concert and playing computer games, I wasn't about to argue. Perhaps Mr. C. didn't feel like teaching that day. Even if that was the case, it impressed me that he recognized the orchestra's efforts and that my bass playing resulted in a fun day for everyone.
Sometimes, I thought some of my teachers were just going through the motions. Then, I'd see that they rooted for their students' success in ways I hadn't considered.
