10 things I wish I'd been told before I became a music teacher:

1. You are in charge of your studio, not the parents who pay you.
2. You are a music teacher because you are a musician. This means that you do know best with fingerings.
3. You can never assume the parents know everything (or anything). Be overly clear and explain often.
4. No one practices as much as they tell you.
5. Being corrected every single week is never fun. We think it's to improve them, your student will think it's that they can never be perfect. Try to mix it up with something positive.
6. You're never too old for stickers.
7. Knowing the notes on the staff is no guarantee that note reading will follow.
8. If you ask a student if they'd like to do something, there's a 50% chance they'll say no. Choose your phrasing wisely.
9. Some days, you just won't get anything done in lesson. Don't feel guilty about it.
10. Dotted quarter notes are never not going to be confusing.