Teacher, teach me taro - hey, who's that hot chick I'm learning with?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 11 Oct 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Teranar	11 Oct 2003
I think a month ago I talked about how I have two students, Lucius and Ravan, learing tarot from me... well, they never really ran into eachother until recently.... and now I have the fun of teaching a loving couple tarot. (THey are kinda cute together) but I worry that their being amourous towards eachother may interfere with teaching them. (Hey you two! Stop doing that while I try to explain the magician!) Anyway, I WAS making progress, they were beginning to trust their intuition more, learning the major arcania... and now I don't know how things will go. Any suggestions on teaching a teenage couple that could go volatle and blow at any moment? (If you've delt with teenage couples you know what I'm talking about.) A single fortune teller with a headache, Teranar

Logiatrix	11 Oct 2003
There is nothing you can do. They are teenagers. Teenagers are aliens. :) I will pray for you.

anjocoxo	11 Oct 2003
It's kind of hard to work with teenagers, especially if the boyfriend/girlfriend is around. In my opinion, you'll have to shout one or two times, because many teenagers can't see when you're starting to be really angry; they just keep on doing that thing that it is annoying you so much, not even noticing that your face is becoming red. Tell them that they'll have plenty of time to love each other - outside the classes. As Tauni said, I'll pray for you... good luck Anjo

lunalafey	11 Oct 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Teranar I think a month ago I talked about how I have two students, Lucius and Ravan, learing tarot from me... well, they never really ran into eachother until recently.... and now I have the fun of teaching a loving couple tarot. ROFL I knew, when I read your post about them, that this was going to happen! LOL...... my advise then, remains the same now....except you might have to incorporate a 6 inch rule.

Marion	11 Oct 2003
Second tauni's comment :D :D Be firm, as long as they still want to learn they'll listen.

Dark_angel	11 Oct 2003
You could try separate lessons, with a joint one once a week where you all go over what you've been studying and try out spreads together. That way, if they stay together, you won't have to worry about romance getting in the way of their learning and they'll have an extra incentive to learn - to impress each other! And if they split up, well, just cancel the joint session and replace it with individual sessions. Good luck! I remember being a teenager... Tauni's right - all teenagers are aliens! xxx

Teranar	12 Oct 2003
Quote: Originally posted by lunalafey ROFL I knew, when I read your post about them, that this was going to happen! LOL...... ... so why didn't you warn me?? Well, Holmes gave me some excellent advice on chat, and I can try to keep them together best I can (I can read teenagers like an open book, I've discovered. I can tell just when teen A no longer wants to be with teen B, when teen Y wants to hook up with teen Z, ect...) so I think I can do this... I think...

nina	12 Oct 2003
Hello, I had a young couple working for me at the restaurant I manage and they were driving up the wall with all the touching and inability to concentrate. When i made a comment to another worker about it she looked at me in surprise and said, "C'mon, they're falling in love." So for the next couple of days I wondered, have I become such a cynical, single person that I'm annoyed at other's happiness? Are they not at all bothersome and I'm just bitter? Haven't I ever been that way about anyone? I determined to cultivate a better attitude- and the next time I worked with them it lasted all of twenty minutes. These kids you're teaching, while you can't blame them (at that age, romance is like being under the influence of a powerful, powerful drug plus it's completely consuming of attention because it seems it has never happened before to anyone) I know it must be frustrating. Best of luck. -nina

Cerulean	12 Oct 2003
...which surprised me for their maturity, but they were college students. A boyfriend and girlfriend. They went through each card in the deck and picked out the ones that reminded them of each other--but it wasn't the good things, it was actually the failings. For instance, if the simple meaning of 'four of pentacles' was 'possessive' or 'miserly', they picked each other's failings in the context with the card. I read the posting some time ago in another newsgroup and I believe the students are still together. I wonder if you can get them to focus developing their own keywords in the context of the courts or majors first and then do the same from one to ten for each suit. Keep them busy writing in a notebook and if you could have a group of more than two, split the couple up so everyone reads for everyone. Or you all participate and alternate partners. I'd deal with them as two siblings who have a love-hate thing---which is easy to suggest. Hope you get good ideas...would checking books or even asking for ideas when doing a spread for yourself, would that generate ideas? Mari H.

Jeanette	12 Oct 2003
Are they reimbursing you for your time, or are you teaching them for free? Time is money, and people are less likely to waste time when it translates into money being wasted. That being said, teenages in love ~ WOW! What fun! My son will soon be sixteen, and I just can't believe it. He has lots of friends over on the weekends, and they usually spend the night (we live in the country, and distances are far for kids that don't drive). Although I only allow his guy friends to stay over, the girls come and hang out until around 11 p.m. or so. I really enjoy them all, and they are a great bunch to be around. So try and enjoy the experience for what it's worth and be happy with them while it lasts ~ after all, youth is wasted on the young.

catlin	13 Oct 2003
Well, I know why I don't offer longtime tarot courses for teens, only workshops or the free public lectures. I think I am growing old but my spare time is so short and therefore precious, I don't want to spend it on giggling teens. You only have the possibility to either accept their giggling and fumbling or teach them in separate classes.

Yami Yugi	13 Oct 2003
We come in peace. lol Seriously though that can be a major problem when learning is involved. There's a couple like that in my math class it can be nerve racking trying to concentrate with all that gigling going on. So with a ton of guilt we booby trapped both of their desks next to each other so they would get in trouble for disturbing the class. It was funny when the trap sprung their desks fell apart. That shut em up atleast for awhile i don't think you can really do anything but seperate them from each other. Well I guess you could prank them at every turn so that they think the other is bad luck but thats what i would do. P.S. Try an egg trap it works best

Kiama	13 Oct 2003
A while ago Major Tom introduced me to a wonderful book called 'Tarot Games' by Cait Johnson and Maura D Shaw: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0062509640/ref=sr_aps_books_1_1/202-1146210-9489448 It has loads of games in it for couples and for a group of three, that you can use to explore the cards. This might be a fun way of keeping their attention, exploring the cards, and helping them improve their relationship. :D Kiama Edited to add: I wouldn't go for the route of separating them. I would take advantage of their fondness for each other, and teach them together. That way they can explore the Tarot together, and they're both on the same footing. And because they both have your Tarot lessons in common, they may be more likely to devote alot of time to the lessons: after all, they'll be together in the lessons. Exploring the Tarot with somebody you are in a relationship with is a beautiful, very gratifying experience, and I think you could use that to your advantage in these lessons.

Dark_angel	13 Oct 2003
(....mmmm....Keanu Reeves and Al Pacino....) Ahem. Anyway... However, if tarot becomes something that they associate with each other, as could happen if you use their relationship as a basis for exercises, or even just teach them together, then if the relationship ends, one or even both of them might feel unable to continue with something that was so much of a "couple" thing, and your students' potential might go unrealised. xxx

divinerguy	13 Oct 2003
Teenagers, hmm. Too young, I think. I have socks that are older. They can't be taught, not until they reach 40 or so, either in waist size or years. Well, maybe I'm being a bit hasty. If they are of good character, I suppose they can be taught. But don't coddle them. Lots of knuckle raps with a ruler will keep their thoughts from wandering to unwholesome neighborhoods.

Alex	14 Oct 2003
Time to go deep into "The Lovers" card. Alex.

Teranar	17 Oct 2003
While I'm teaching them for free I almost scoff at the way things happen. Ravan's sweetness was wasted on Lucius, who at times seems as if he forgets who he is, and now they've they've broken up. The thing is Lucius doesn't know it yet because he's skipped about 3 days of school where she wants to tell him. *SIGH* Teens. Why do I feel alienated from them when I AM one? Is it because I never did the things or went through the things they're going through now? Oh well, I guess I'll just remain an island of caalmness... or go insane Insane Teranar

Jeanette	17 Oct 2003
Ha, this is too funny! It reminds me of the soap opera "As the World Turns" and you could use the Wheel of Fortune & World cards to illustrate it! Hope you keep your sanity.......

Teranar	17 Oct 2003
Geez, a soap sums these kids up perfectly... I feel like I'm ON the wheel of fortune! And what amazes me is they basically treat me like the hermit, good for advice, but they don't invite me to the parites. Hey! The teen soap opera tarot deck! There's an idea! Who wants in? A confused Seer slowly going insane, Teranar

lunalafey	18 Oct 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Teranar and now they've they've broken up. The thing is Lucius doesn't know it yet because he's skipped about 3 days of school where she wants to tell him. *SIGH* Teens. LOL- You could do a demonstration of a spread and ask- "what does R want to tell L?" JK

The Teacher, teach me taro - hey, who's that hot chick I'm learning with? thread was originally posted on 11 Oct 2003 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.