This story might seem familiar. Back in chapter 12, when Abraham was sent by God, he pretended his wife was his sister. Isaac did the same thing when he was sent by God! In both cases, the men were protected by the king of the new land, but only after each ruse was uncovered.
The story parallels continued. Abraham divided up the land with Lot. Isaac settled and resettled in order to make peace with the Philistines of Gerar. In both stories, God promised them more children than there were stars.
I have to confess, the whole thing seems pretty redundant. I do not presume to know how much Isaac knew about his father Abraham’s life before he was born, but if he had heard the stories, he didn’t learn from them! Or maybe it was a case of ‘like father, like son.’ Ultimately, Isaac found a place to live under God’s blessing. So, what? Consider this. In your classroom, do you find yourself repeating the same learning process, the same lesson, the same performance calendar? Are there aspects of your music program or your routines that get you the desired result but seem to take more work and hassle than you want? Maybe it is time to do something differently. Revisit the vision you have for your program. Recognize that doing something because you’ve done it before may be making your progress toward your vision harder, especially if you are hesitant to change because of fear. Ask your colleagues how they handle similar situations. Check online resources for new methods. You do not have to change your goals, but you can implement more efficient and effective means by which to reach them. And your students might (might…) appreciate the thought you put into changes that make progress easier for them.