Early music students are often confused with where to place accidentals:

1. When we speak, we say the note name first and then the accidental: C sharp.
2. When we're writing away from the staff, we do the same: C♯.
3. But when we notate *in* the staff, we suddenly change the ordering: the ♯ comes *before* the C notehead.

Is there a historical (or even etymological) reason for this? I'd love to point to some specific reasoning instead of just telling my students "this is just how we do it."