What is My Job?

I was recently on Facebook and I was looking at profiles of some of my friends I have not seen for a while. Looking at their career information made me feel a little depressed. On that night jobs like doctor, athletic trainer, manager and owner all sounded more impressive then being a teacher.  I mentioned to my husband that I was feeling like a slacker because many of my friends seem to have more important and impressive jobs. This led to a conversation about what being a teacher actually means. I don't mean to discredit any profession.  All professions are important, but sometimes the title does not clearly explain what the job entails. I strongly believe in the power of teachers and I see how important our job is to the future of our communities and our country as a whole. 

What It Means To Be A Teacher

1. Teachers model for students correct behavior. Teachers are role models who help instil behavior that is expected at home. Manners, respect and many life skills are taught and strengthened at school.

2. Teachers manage classrooms full of students who are all working towards a common goal of mastering new content. They cultivate a love of learning in their classrooms. 

3. Teachers evaluate students and create lessons and projects that strengthen their student's weaknesses.  All of this is done without the ability to fire students. Teachers work hard to help all of their students find success. 

As teachers, we have an amazing job! The foundation of our student's futures are built in our classrooms. It may not seem glamorous, but we are not just teachers. 

AFC Has Talent 2013

I will openly admit that I complained a lot about having to organize the end of the year Talent Show. As a first year teacher, I don't have a lot of say when it comes to school traditions. My school cut elementary music for a few years and a teacher started the Talent Show as a way to incorporate music without having music class. Although I complained a lot and it was a time consuming process, the final product was amazing!  I work at a K-4 Elementary School and the Talent Show is open to all students. My school has around two hundred students and we had thirty performance that involved forty seven students. 

The Talent Show this Year was a great success and I look forward to organizing it next year. In years past it has been called AFC Idol and this year I changed it to AFC Has Talent, which allowed students to play an instrument as well as sing. 

Top 5 Reasons Why Every School Should Host A Talent Show

1. It allows students a chance to showcase a talent that might otherwise be hidden to their classmates and teachers. I was amazed at the musical talent of many of my students who performed. 

2. Music and the arts in general give students who struggle in traditional academics an outlet and a platform to be successful. 

3. It gives students the opportunity to practice performing infront of a crowd. 

4. It is a great school tradition that students look forward to each year. 

5. It is a wonderful way to advocate for music and to showcase the music abilities of a school. 

What I Learned From Teaching in Alaska

In the summer of 2010 I moved to Alaska for a teaching job. Music jobs were hard to find in the Midwest at that time, so I decided to move when I was offered a position. I taught at a K-6 school with around 100 students.  I was hired as the music and physical education teacher.  My other duties as assigned included teaching second grade math one year and kindergarten math and reading my second year. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to teach in Alaska. I learned so much and my time there helped me grow as a teacher and a person. 

Top 10 Things I Learned from Teaching in Alaska

1. Relationships are the most important thing: between teachers, between teachers/students and between the school and families/communities. 

2. School may be the only consistent stabilizing force for students who have very difficult home lives. 

3. Strong traditions add to the school experience. All school Thanksgiving Dinner, 6th Grade vs Faculty Game and the end of the year 5K were three of my favorites. 

4. Working as a staff team makes life more enjoyable and successful. 

5. Many students miss out on experiences if they do not get them at school. Schools need to find and fill the needs of their community. 

6. All teachers have strengths and skills that other teachers can learn from. 

7. Each classroom should be unique and bring characteristics that are specific to the individual teacher.

8. As a teacher respect cannot be demands, it must be earned. 

9. Learning is fun!

10. Kids want to know that someone cares about them. Building a relationship and trust is vital!

Summer Reading 2013

Challenge Started: May 22, 2013

1. Daphne's Book by Mary Downing Hawn-5/22/13

2. Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hawn-5/23/13

3. Teaching and Learning are Lifelong Journeys-5/24/13

4. You Can't Say You Can't Play by Vivian Gussin Paley-5/25/13

5. Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder-5/26/13

6. The Book of 1 Thessalonians-5/27/13

7. The Book of 2 Thessalonians-5/28/13

8. In Christ Alone by Sinclair B. Ferguson-5/29/13

9. Candide by Voltaire-5/30/13

10. The Father's Guide to the Meaning of Life by Joe Kita-5/31/13

May Totals:  10 Days-10 Books

11. The Calling of Emily Evans by Janette Oke-6/1/13

12. Puppy Come Home by Laura Yirak-6/1/13

13. They Call Me Coach by John Wooden-6/2/13

14. Imposter (A Protectors Novel) by Karen Fenech-6/2/13

15. The Book of 1 Timothy-6/3/13

16. The Stress Free You by Elizabeth O'Brien-6/4/13

17. The Book of 2 Timothy-6/4/13

18. Wounded Healer by Donna Fleisher-6/4/13

19. Blacklist by Brad Thor-6/5/13

20. The Book of Titus-6/6/13

21. The Book of Philemon-6/6/13

22. The Book of Joel-6/7/13

23. The Book of Obadiah-6/8/13

24. The Book of Habakkuk-6/9/13

25. Helping People Win at Work by Ken Blanchard and Garry Ridge-6/10/13

26. The Book of Zephaniah-6/11/13

27. The Rules of Work by Richard Templar-6/12/13

28. The Womens Murder Club: 1st to Die by James Patterson-6/13/13
29. The Essential 55 Workbook by Ron Clark-6/13/13

30. The Book of Nahum-6/14/13 

31. The Book of Haggai-6/15/13

32. The Book of Jonah-6/16/13

33. The Book of Malachi-6/17/13

34. The Book of Ruth-6/18/13

35. Brian's Return by Gary Paulsen-6/19/13

36. The River by Gary Paulsen-6/21/13

37. The Book of Jude-6/22/13

38. The Book of Colossians-6/23/13

39. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician's Nephew by C.S Lewis-6/24/13

40. The Book of 1 John-6/25/13

41. The Book of 2 John-6/26/13

42. The Book of 3 John-6/26/13

43. The Book of Philippeans-6/27/13

44. The Book of James-6/28/14

45. The Chronicles of Narnia:  The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S Lewis-6/29/13

46. The Book of 1 Peter-6/30/13

June Totals: 30 Days-36 Books

47. The Book of 2 Peter-7/1/13

48. Notorious Nighteen by Janet Evonovich-7/2/13

49. The Book of Lamentations-7/3/13

50. Bonnie by Iris Johansen-7/4/13

51. Taking Eve by Iris Johansen-7/5/13

52. The Book of Galations-7/7/13

53. The Book of Ephesians-7/8/13

54. Plum Luck by Janet Evonovich-7/10/13

55. The Book of Micah-7/11/13

56. Full Black by Brad Thor-7/14/13

57. One Simple Act by Debbie Macomber-7/16/13

58. 57 Ways to Take Control of Your Time and Your Life by Jim Meisenheimer-7/16/13

59. A Wanted Man: Jack Reacher by Lee Child-7/17/13

60. 20 Things I've Learned As An Entrepenuer by Alicia Morga-7/18/13

61. Called To Write by KM and Rev. CM Logan-7/18/13

62. Being Happy by David Tuffley-7/18/13

63. Ten Interesting Things About Human Behavior by Suzanne L. Davis-7/18/13

64. How To Start A Successful Blog In One Hour by Steve Scott-7/19/13

65. Cougar Cub Tales: The Sneezy Wheezy Day by Sharon Cramer-7/20/13

66. Princess Diadora: Ordinary Princess by Eddie Bee & Teri Lee-7/20/13

67. A Different Princess: Space Princess by Amy Potter-7/20/13

68. The Rainbow Stick Boy by Michael Santolini-7/20/13

69. Cougar Cub Tales: I'm Just Like You by Sharon Cramer-7/20/13

70. Cougar Cub Tales: Lost and Alone by Sharon Cramer-7/20/13

71. App Design Checklist by MindSea-7/20/13

72. What the Fox Learnt by Four Fables by Aesop-7/20/13

73. 7 Reasons Why Your Blog Is Failing by Terry Anders-7/22/13

74. How To Start A Blog That People Will Actually Read by Mike Omar-7/23/13

75. In Too Deep by Katheryn Shay-7/24/13

76. The Dirty Dozen Abdominal Workout by Pete Genot-7/24/13

77. Forbidden Disclosure: A Billinaire in Disguise by Terri Marie-7/24/13

78. The Workout Series: 4 Week Home Bodyweight Workout by Arnel Ricafranca- 7/24/13

July Totals: 31 Days-32 Books

79. Ransom River by Meg Gardiner- 8/3/13

80. How Childen Succeed by Paul Tough-8/4/13

81. Expert Blogging by Nick Thacker-8/6/13

82. How To Discipline Without Shouting or Spanking by Jerry Wyckoff-8/10/13

83. Useful Things by Thomas Faustin Huiskiny-8/10/13

84. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian by C.S Lewis-8/12/13

85. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S Lewis-8/13/13

86. Rhythm of the Game by Bernie Williams-8/18/13

Chorus Repertoire

Today was our last 5th/6th Chorus rehearsal of the year, so I had my students reflect on our year and then we picked out music for next year. I am working on building my 5th/6th grade chorus, so I am trying my best to build interest.  My goal is to balance traditional choir selections with popular selections (which my students are interested in).  I feel like singing popular music breaks an unwritten rule of teaching choir, but I also realize that students need to be interested in the material in order for them to work on it. These are the songs my students have selected. 

They Really Liked

1. Keep Your Lamps-This group loves Spirituals. Shut De Do is another favorite. 

2. The Climb-Miley Cyrus

3. Never There-Cake

4. Zum Gali Gali

5. When Can I See You Again?-Owl City

These Are OK

1. Ching A Ring

2. For Good-Wicked

3. May It Be-Enya

4. Africa-Toto

Student Reflection Cards

I decided to step out on a limb and try something new this year. I have read a lot of articles lately about having students complete reflection forms at the end of the year.  It serves as a way to have students reflect on the year, while also giving feedback to their teacher. 

I gave all of my students in third and fourth grades a notecard and I wrote the four questions on the board. 

1. Favorite thing

2. Least favorite thing

3. Something we should spend more time on 

4. Advice for Mrs. Wren

I am always striving to improve my teaching, my lessons and our classroom. These cards have given me important information from my students on how to make things better.  I use recorder karate in fourth grade and one of the students recommended rearranging the room so they could see the karate board better. He would like to be babble o write his own name once he accomplishes a belt. So far I have leaned a lot about what my students like and don't like about my class/room. 

Summer Reading Challenge

I recently saw a link on Twitter about the "Book A Day Challenge."  I was immediately intrigued by the name and decided to read more about it.  The corresponding blog post explained how many teachers are challenging themselves this summer to read a book a day.  I love to read and one of my favorite things about summer is that it allows me more time to read.  I have decided to partake in this challenge.  It is really just an excuse I now have to explain why I am reading so much this summer.

I am going to start my challenge on Saturday, June 1st.  I plan on reading a variety of material: books for fun (James Patterson, Tess Gerritsen, Nicholas Sparks, JD Robb, Iris Johanson, Janet Evanovich and Deb Macomber are some of my favorite authors), children's literature (searching for possibilities to add to my classroom library), autobiographies, biographies and non-fiction (music, running, coaching and teaching.)

Anyone else filling their summer with reading or have any book suggestions?  I cannot wait to begin filling my summer days with hours of reading. It is going to be a great three months!

Here is the list of the books I have read so far this summer.

Gamification-After Three Weeks

A few weekends ago, I stumbled upon the "Teach Like A Pirate" chat on Twitter and the topic was gamification.  I didn't know anything about this philosophy of teaching, but it seemed interesting, so I asked questions and followed along with what others were saying.  After learning more about the philosophy, I decided it was something I wanted to try in my classroom.  In all honesty, I don't know if I am implementing this philosophy in my classroom the "right" way, but I have had great success with what I am doing in class.

I created a Class Badges account and created a profile for each of my students in third and fourth grade.  This is a free online program where students can "earn" badges for different accomplishments.  I setup five different levels in my classroom and students are free to work through each level at their own pace.  I include a variety of skills and activities: Composition, Rhythm BINGO, Note Reading, Orff Piece and Recorder Pieces.  The students have to perform for me (or show me their composition/work) in order to earn a badge.

My favorite thing about this philosophy so far is that it allows me to have 1:1 time with students to see how they are progressing through different skills.  The students like "earning" a badge, so they are more willing to work on the activity even if they don't accomplish it the first time, which is something they struggled with at the beginning on the year.  I used Recorder Karate and they still earn a string belt to tie on their recorder, but having the badges has helped them stay motivated.  I also started using Rockin' Recorders this year and I award badges when students master a piece from this method also.  I have found this helps fill in the gaps of Recorder Karate and helps keep the students more motivated.

When I started this journey, I explained the process to my students and asked them if it sounded interested. They agreed to try it for the rest of the school year, at which point we would access if we liked it or not.  I am interested to hear their feedback after this week and I think for the most part all of my students have enjoyed the process.  It allows them a lot of choice and control in their learning.  The badges allow them a way to see how they are progressing.

Thank you to the "Teach Like A Pirate Chat."  It has been a great journey and I look forward to learning even more about this teaching philosophy.

Goosebumps

Have you ever experienced a moment when everything gels, all your hard work pays off and your band or chorus sounds so amazing it gives you goosebumps? 

In my short teaching career, I have only experienced this one other time. This year I teach a 5th-6th grade chorus and a 7th-8th grade chorus. It has been a struggle and I have learned a ton. Today was a reminder of why I love music and why I teach. In the end, all of the struggles are worth it. We are getting ready for a concert and one of our songs in 5th/6th Grade is Home by Phillip Phillips. I wasn't sure what to do for the accompaniment, so I was prepared to try a few possibilities (Acapella, piano or karaoke track). I decided to try the Acapella option first and this is where my chorus completely amazed me. We have struggled with blending and staying on pitch. Today during rehearsal all of the stars must have aligned because it sounded amazing. My students even realized how awesome they sounded. It was a fantastic experience that left me with goosebumps. 

The icing on the cake was when one of my students turned to a friend and commented that it's amazing what they can do when they stop goofing around and they work hard. This rehearsal put the pep back into my step. A big Thank You to my 5th/6th Grade Chorus for letting me be apart of that moment and for reminding me why I love my job. 

I Love My Job

I realized tonight that people who  know me only through Twitter may think I am a very negative person and I don't like how that realization made me feel.

I love my job and I truly care for all of my students and the players I coach.  My goal is to give my students the best music education possible, while teaching them life skills.

This year has been overly stressful and it has made me think long and hard about what I do. I teach students, but sadly, very little stress comes from my students. Yes, I worry about all of them and I pray for their well being, but they are rarely the cause of stress. They are not perfect little angles, but throughout the course of this school year I have built a relationship with them and we have a mutual understanding.

The stress comes from the politics of education.  In the end it is the adults, not the children causing problems. I strongly believe that positive relationships will fix problems. Key relationships between the community, politicians, fellow teachers and administration are weak, which cause misunderstandings and stress. The field of education needs to focus on relationships instead of programs and fix these key relationships so the field as a whole will be less stressful. Stress is taking up valuable teaching energy and causing talented teachers to leave the profession.

Would You Encourge?

How would you respond if a high school senior told you they planned on going into education? How would you respond of a high school senior told you they wanted to go into music education?

Sadly, I cannot say that I would encourge either decision. Don't get me wrong, I am passionate about my profession and I have no idea what I would do if I did not teach, but this lifestyle is not one I can positivly reccomend.  Yes, I believe being a teacher is a lifestyle. It's a life of always thinking about your students ahead of many other things. It's spending hours of "free time" thinking about and working on school projects. Being a teacher becomes who you are, not just what you do.

I believe in the education system and I know the success of our country depends on educating our future, but our field is not one for the weak of heart. Expect many sleepless nights and high stress. If you can endure the negatives, the positives can be numerous and wonderful.

Whose Job Is It?

I recently read the book "55 Rules-Workbook" by Ron Clark. The benefit of the Workbook is it expands on the Book 55 Rules and offers specific ideas and tools for teaching and implementation.  Like many teachers, I have been taught that I should only have a few rules and some may think that having 55 rules is overkill. Most of the rules have to do with manners: answer questions with a "yes or no sir/ma'am, no eye rolling, saying please and thank you and holding the door open for people behind you are a few examples.  The rules then become concrete reminders of how to live life with respect for yourself and those around you. 

Reminding my students to use manners is a constant struggle (I will admit manners are a pet peeve) and I can see how having posters with these reminders could be helpful.  Whether or not it is truly our job, schools have become the place where students learn the correct way to act. Sadly for some, school may be the only place where students are held to a high standard academically or behaviorally. This adds to the importance and impact that schools can have on their students and the community.  It also shows how vital schools are to the success of our communities and country as a whole. 

In the end, our success as a community is not based on how high our test scores are or how smart are students are. Learning is a life long journey and the two most important skills we can teach young people are how to treat others well and to have a love for learning. Treating people well creates a home/work place/community that is full of respect and kindness. A love for learning means that nothing is impossible. Once I know how I learn best, I can learn anything that interests me. The Internet makes learning even more accessible. There are videos, manuals and books on just about every topic imaginable. 

Whose Job Is It? It's our job. It is everyone's job (parents, families, schools, teacher and coaches) to make sure that our children love to learn new things and that they know how to treat people well.  We may not be tested on manners, but over a lifetime, I believe they are far more important that a bubble test. In the end, life is about relationships and it is near impossible to build strong relationships without treating people well. 

Do you ask?

Last month my husband's school hosted their annual Dinner and Auction. It was a fantastic evening and it reminded me how helpful and generous people can be given the proper information.  To make a long story short; towards the end of the evening the auctioneers informed the crowd that we were a few thousand dollars away from a landmark dollar amount and one that far exceeded what the Auction usually makes.  Through many generous people the Auction was a huge success.

This evening made me wonder about how often we as teachers wish parents, other teachers, community and/or our principal would help us, but we never directly ask for their help.  People in general are very helpful and generous beings and often times they just don't know what to do or how they can help.  

So do we ask for help or do we sit and wonder why no one is willing to help us?  Educating our future generation is a challenging endevor and we will be more successful when many people assist in the process. Ask for assistance. Ask for resources. Ask for experts to help teach our children. Ask for help in giving our students the best experiences possible. 

The worst that can happen is for the people we ask for help to say no.