Students regularly need to change teachers, find a different mentor. It happens in private lessons, it happens in creative and in academic subjects at every level. The wise teacher and the wise student both understand not to blame the material.
And they know not to blame themselves or each other. It’s not personal – it’s interpersonal.
Even the best teacher won’t be the best teacher for every student. And even the best student won’t respond to the teaching of every teacher. A great teacher and a great student might sometimes not connect in an educationally effective way.
I encourage my students to be aware of this – and to seek a better situation if it’s not working for them. When I teach privately, the fact that they might need to change teachers is covered in the first lesson.
And when a student does decide to go a different direction, I don’t use it as a reason to direct blame at myself. I remember that it’s not personal – it’s interpersonal. While our connection wasn’t conducive to the best learning, I trust that someone else is waiting who needs what my teaching has to offer, and that my current student will better flourish in a new situation.