Definition of "that" teacher: Using the same books/worksheets/materials year after year. Never putting in any extra time and leaving the minute the contract says is acceptable. These teachers are the warnings and nightmares we hear about in teacher prep classes. Overall, I do not believe there are many of these teachers, but the horror stories themselves prove their point.
I think most people would agree that teachers who lack passion need to retire or find a new profession. I was always confused why anyone would let themselves become this type of teacher and I vowed that I never would. Over the past few weeks the frustrations of teaching and playing the game that is the politics of public education has been overwhelming. Frustration leads my brain to over thinking, which produces many ideas; Some crazier then others.
Through these frustrations I had a realization that they stem from my caring about my profession, my school and my students. A lot of that stress would be eliminated if I could find a way to limit how much I care. I could show up at 7:50 and leave at 3:20, never spend extra time and sing the same exact songs every year. The next realization is that I don't know I could be happy teaching this way. It is fun to try new things and to learn new methods, songs and ideas.
This frustration has helped me realign my focus and my philosophy. That part of the experience has been beneficial. In the end it always comes down to the fact that I have two hundred kids who deserve the best music education that I can give them. Instead of being the teacher from horror stories my goal is to be the teacher that I would want my own children to have.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Monday, February 11, 2013
Why I Teach Music
I teach music because....
-I want my students to learn an art form they can enjoy the rest of their lives.
-I want my students to understand that failure is ok and that through practice they learn new skills and concepts.
-I want my students who struggle with core subjects to have a room where they can feel successful.
-I want my students to feel the sense of accomplishment when they master a new skill.
-I want my students to experience the power that comes from collaborating with classmates and friends to make something magical.
-I want my students to learn that work ethic and perseverance can get them through any obstacle.
-I want my students to learn that nothing is impossible if they believe in themselves and work hard.
-I want my students to know that it is alright if things are not perfect.
-I want my students to learn that details matter.
-I want my students to know that they can always get better.
-I want my students to see the impact that choices and work ethic have on their life.
-I want my students to feel successful.
-I want my students to understand that life is not about passing tests.
-I want my students to understand that not everything that is important is on a test.
-I want my students to learn how to interpret body language.
-I want my students to learn a language that surpasses time and geographical location.
-I want my students to learn how to listen to themselves and those around them.
-I want my students to learn how to work as a team to achieve a common goal.
-I want my students to have a basic understanding of the music that surrounds them.
-I want my students to be well rounded and have an appreciation of many different areas.
-I want my kids to build their self esteem and confidence as an individual, a contributing part of a group and as a learner.
-I want my students to learn an art form they can enjoy the rest of their lives.
-I want my students to understand that failure is ok and that through practice they learn new skills and concepts.
-I want my students who struggle with core subjects to have a room where they can feel successful.
-I want my students to feel the sense of accomplishment when they master a new skill.
-I want my students to experience the power that comes from collaborating with classmates and friends to make something magical.
-I want my students to learn that work ethic and perseverance can get them through any obstacle.
-I want my students to learn that nothing is impossible if they believe in themselves and work hard.
-I want my students to know that it is alright if things are not perfect.
-I want my students to learn that details matter.
-I want my students to know that they can always get better.
-I want my students to see the impact that choices and work ethic have on their life.
-I want my students to feel successful.
-I want my students to understand that life is not about passing tests.
-I want my students to understand that not everything that is important is on a test.
-I want my students to learn how to interpret body language.
-I want my students to learn a language that surpasses time and geographical location.
-I want my students to learn how to listen to themselves and those around them.
-I want my students to learn how to work as a team to achieve a common goal.
-I want my students to have a basic understanding of the music that surrounds them.
-I want my students to be well rounded and have an appreciation of many different areas.
-I want my kids to build their self esteem and confidence as an individual, a contributing part of a group and as a learner.
The Importance of Music
It seems February is the month when music teacher's schedules get double checked and the question "Why do we need you?" seems to always appear. Justifying my job has to be one of the most frustrating parts of my job. After conversations with many people recently I was confronted by a difficult realization. Is it really possible to "prove" to people that music is important? There have been countless studies and research papers that explain the many facets of music education and why they are vital to our children's education. Even armed with this information, can we really prove that our jobs are worth keeping around. At the end of the day, NCLB dictates that our children must show growth and many school districts have taken the approach that subjects that are not on the test are of less value.
I am not writing this post to be Mrs. Negative, but I am trying to be realistic. We can only teach our students what they are open to learning. I don't believe that adults are any different. This is not to say that I am throwing in the towel and admitting defeat. I am realizing the challenge. Part of the "Love and Logic" approach that I use in my classroom is holding students accountable for solving their own problems. I am going to follow what I preach. No one else should be responsible for solving my problems. Data and research do not seem to be working, so here are some of my ideas that I think (and hope) will work. This is an uphill battle for all of us who call themselves music teachers.
-Fill my classes with so much fun, excitement and learning that my students are constantly talking about music when they are at home.
-Invite parents in for class so they can see what music class looks like in 2013.
-Invite administrators in for class performances.
-Invite administrators and teachers in to experience the struggle and learning that occurs while preparing for a concert. (Give them an instrument, let them sing along).
-Include music in as many school activities as possible (think outside the box).
-Maintain an up to date website that keeps parents knowledgable about what is happening in music. Look into other ways of doing this too: videos, pictures, newsletters...
-Apply for grants- awards are a great publicity source for all programs.
-Fill in the blanks, be prepared to advocate for the arts without notice.
-I know it is clique, but "Kill them with Kindness."
Rereading my list makes me a little frustrated because few other teachers have to experience this. They just get to "teach," but I have decided that "fighting" the challenge is a better option then hiding in a corner and being overly frustrated.
I am not writing this post to be Mrs. Negative, but I am trying to be realistic. We can only teach our students what they are open to learning. I don't believe that adults are any different. This is not to say that I am throwing in the towel and admitting defeat. I am realizing the challenge. Part of the "Love and Logic" approach that I use in my classroom is holding students accountable for solving their own problems. I am going to follow what I preach. No one else should be responsible for solving my problems. Data and research do not seem to be working, so here are some of my ideas that I think (and hope) will work. This is an uphill battle for all of us who call themselves music teachers.
-Fill my classes with so much fun, excitement and learning that my students are constantly talking about music when they are at home.
-Invite parents in for class so they can see what music class looks like in 2013.
-Invite administrators in for class performances.
-Invite administrators and teachers in to experience the struggle and learning that occurs while preparing for a concert. (Give them an instrument, let them sing along).
-Include music in as many school activities as possible (think outside the box).
-Maintain an up to date website that keeps parents knowledgable about what is happening in music. Look into other ways of doing this too: videos, pictures, newsletters...
-Apply for grants- awards are a great publicity source for all programs.
-Fill in the blanks, be prepared to advocate for the arts without notice.
-I know it is clique, but "Kill them with Kindness."
Rereading my list makes me a little frustrated because few other teachers have to experience this. They just get to "teach," but I have decided that "fighting" the challenge is a better option then hiding in a corner and being overly frustrated.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Classroom Tour #2
This is my first year at my current school. I am fortunate to have a spacious room, so it gives me many arrangement possibilities. I rearranged for the 5th time this year, but I think I have found a setup I will stick with (at least for a while). I have a storage closet that I have turned into an office. Moving my desk out of the class area opened it up a lot.
Recorder
Each year I tweak things in order to make things better and easier for my kids. I have done recorder a few different ways, but here is how my program works now.
Overall Program
-My district starts band in 5th grade, so recorder is part of the 3rd and 4th grader curriculum.
-I start recorder 3rd quarter with 3rd graders. We do recorder off and on throughout 4th grade.
-Each student has a recorder they barrow from the school and it never leaves my classroom.
Specific to 3rd Grade
-We begin our Recorder Unit by having 15 seconds of craziness- Before I have taught them anything I let them play as loud and obnoxious as they want. This gets it out of their system and I have less problems later on.
-My students have music twice a week for forty minutes. For the first three weeks we focus on a specific note each week. I use rhythm Flashcards, play alongside from different method books and echo drills. Our focus is transitioning rhythm to recorder without having to worry about notes.
-This year I am using the Rockin' Recorder Method. Each student has their own packet to take home, so they can practice. We will not use these until the second month of recorders.
- I am a percussionist, so I include a lot of drums into my lessons. My students really enjoyed playing recorder when I play drum set. I used my two toms to signify the notes B and A and they had to echo my pattern.
-We focus on a lot of rhythm reading on one note and echoing patterns.
-As we focus on 1-2 notes we do student echoes and simple composition projects.
Specific to 4th Grade
-We focus more on Recorder Karate. Each class makes a goal on how many belts they must earn each semester. The second class of the week is usually Belt Testing day, but that depends on our schedule and their behavior.
Overall Program
-My district starts band in 5th grade, so recorder is part of the 3rd and 4th grader curriculum.
-I start recorder 3rd quarter with 3rd graders. We do recorder off and on throughout 4th grade.
-Each student has a recorder they barrow from the school and it never leaves my classroom.
Specific to 3rd Grade
-We begin our Recorder Unit by having 15 seconds of craziness- Before I have taught them anything I let them play as loud and obnoxious as they want. This gets it out of their system and I have less problems later on.
-My students have music twice a week for forty minutes. For the first three weeks we focus on a specific note each week. I use rhythm Flashcards, play alongside from different method books and echo drills. Our focus is transitioning rhythm to recorder without having to worry about notes.
-This year I am using the Rockin' Recorder Method. Each student has their own packet to take home, so they can practice. We will not use these until the second month of recorders.
- I am a percussionist, so I include a lot of drums into my lessons. My students really enjoyed playing recorder when I play drum set. I used my two toms to signify the notes B and A and they had to echo my pattern.
-We focus on a lot of rhythm reading on one note and echoing patterns.
-As we focus on 1-2 notes we do student echoes and simple composition projects.
Specific to 4th Grade
-We focus more on Recorder Karate. Each class makes a goal on how many belts they must earn each semester. The second class of the week is usually Belt Testing day, but that depends on our schedule and their behavior.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
The Importance of Rewards
Rewards are something I really struggle with. Ideally, I would love to use the Ron Clark Academy Model. They give rewards, but it is only for superior work and they stick to high expectations no matter how hard a student works. They reward achievement not effort.
A few weeks ago we hosted Solo and Ensemble. There was a mistake made on a rubric and a group was told they received a lower rating then they actually did. This group of middle schoolers was devastated. I understand wanting to do your best, but what are we teaching our kids if all they want is the gold medal? In my opinion, it is the process that counts. For those girls, it was the hours of practice and all the new skills they learned. The top rating was just a bonus, but it does not impact how much they had already learned from the process of performing and preparing.
When I think of rewards, I automatically think of grading. Do our grades really show how much students have learned? I think we do an injustice to our students when we tell them they did a great job and we pat them on the back when they don't always deserve it. We need to raise kids who are passionate about learning and who give 100 percent. Effort almost always beats talent.
When do you give rewards? Are we raising kids who are only in it for the prize, or who have a strong sense of self respect and want to do their best regardless of the prize?
A few weeks ago we hosted Solo and Ensemble. There was a mistake made on a rubric and a group was told they received a lower rating then they actually did. This group of middle schoolers was devastated. I understand wanting to do your best, but what are we teaching our kids if all they want is the gold medal? In my opinion, it is the process that counts. For those girls, it was the hours of practice and all the new skills they learned. The top rating was just a bonus, but it does not impact how much they had already learned from the process of performing and preparing.
When I think of rewards, I automatically think of grading. Do our grades really show how much students have learned? I think we do an injustice to our students when we tell them they did a great job and we pat them on the back when they don't always deserve it. We need to raise kids who are passionate about learning and who give 100 percent. Effort almost always beats talent.
When do you give rewards? Are we raising kids who are only in it for the prize, or who have a strong sense of self respect and want to do their best regardless of the prize?
Walking your Talk
We hosted Solo and Ensemble this weekend and through interactions with people over the course of the day I realized the importance of doing what you say you are going to (of walking your talk.) I know this seems incredibly simple, but it really hit me today. How often, do we tell our students something, but our body language or behavior send a different message? How often do we offer to do something without any intent of doing what we offered? How often do adults do these things to students?
We have all been told that teachers are role models for students. Not all students have great role models at their home and it is vital that students consistently see positive behavior and interactions. That includes how we act to them (body language and or chosen words), how we interact with others in front if our students and following through with actions. People learn by observing others. Students will have a hard time learning how to react under stress if all they ever see are adults getting angry and upset when they are frustrated. They will also have a hard time learning the value of staying true to your word if they consistently see adults offering or saying they will do things, but never following through.
Students need to see adults under control in stressful situations and they need to see action. Be that kind of role model for your students, the one who acts on what they say they will do, treats others with dignity and respect and stays calm under fire. It's a tough task, but students need to see that it is possible.
We have all been told that teachers are role models for students. Not all students have great role models at their home and it is vital that students consistently see positive behavior and interactions. That includes how we act to them (body language and or chosen words), how we interact with others in front if our students and following through with actions. People learn by observing others. Students will have a hard time learning how to react under stress if all they ever see are adults getting angry and upset when they are frustrated. They will also have a hard time learning the value of staying true to your word if they consistently see adults offering or saying they will do things, but never following through.
Students need to see adults under control in stressful situations and they need to see action. Be that kind of role model for your students, the one who acts on what they say they will do, treats others with dignity and respect and stays calm under fire. It's a tough task, but students need to see that it is possible.
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