I found it very challenging to find a teacher I clicked with. I queried 8 or so, just to find out what their approach was. At first, I looked for rigor, then I realized I really wanted and needed a warm and supportive personality, curiosity about my goals, a certain price range, a willingness to modify the approach if something wasn't working for me, and most of all someone I could trust to look after my best interests in every lesson.
It took me a year and three teachers to grow the self-awareness I needed to understand that the teacher's character was the most critical factor for me. It also took me a year to reconcile all of the advice I've seen on piano boards with what my teacher was teaching me. The first thing she told me was how personal a thing piano is; each person is different.
So, the hardest thing I had to do was to hit reset on everything I had come to believe about piano, and allow the first month of my lessons to focus on building a mutually trusting relationship. Many times, I worried that my lessons weren't taking me where I wanted. But I did an experiment: I allowed myself only a single question in each lesson:
Did I understand what she wanted? Could I do it?
Then I went home and worked hard. One step at a time, she gave me only what she thought I could handle, so each time I showed up in class, I saw an improvement. She never criticizes, or pushes, or demands, and neither do I. We don't talk about levels, about what's right and what's wrong, about mistakes or failures. She gives me feedback, and I implement it. Six weeks in, we decided to start working on original classical pieces, starting with Classics to Moderns. I'm open to trying anything, to see what improves my tone, my technique, my musicality, and it's night and day different from the four lessons I had with others. I thought I knew what I wanted, but I didn't. It took time.
I don't think those other teachers were right for me, for specific-to-me reasons, but I also think I needed to change my own mindset too. And of course, I offer my experience not as a parallel to yours, or as a suggestion that you should think or do as I've done. We are all different, and we need to be met where we are, and our goals respected. So I'm sharing in case something resonates with you in whatever way. Even knowing that you don't need what I need can be helpful in the process of elimination, I think.
I hope you find a teacher you connect with! All my best wishes for your piano journey. ❤️