Yes, Eve, teaching is a great learning experience. I don't know how many times, while teaching computer repair back when the things were the sise of a house, I'd be explaining some circuit and suddenly discover that what I'd been taught was wrong and I finally understood how it really worked.

One of my students, the older of the two, is very inquisitive as to why the lower strings are wound (basic physics) and how things work. I have to tell her that we'll get to that later in the book but first she has to learn how to make a clear sound. The younger one is the classical student and I'm still trying to get her to position her right hand so that she plucks across the strings rather than pulling up on them. Meanwhile, they both are still just learning where the notes below the 5th fret are. They were both resisting putting their thumbs behind the neck so I jumped a few pages ahead and showed them the C chord, which they can only make by putting their thumbs down where they belong and told them to practice that for a few minutes in their spare time. Then they at least knew a reason why they need to do it right. I think it's important to give students a reason to do all the basics rather than just because that's what's on page such and such.

I also think they need a goal. After looking through song books we've arrived at "Hotel California" and "Study in Bm" by Sor since they're basically the same song ( same chords anyway )so both girls have the same goal, in their own terms and can compete to see who gets there first. It's going to be awhile.