A Few Truisms about Teaching I've Learned Along the Way...
A Note to Young Music Teachers (and maybe old ones too?) |
| My first year teaching at Concert Festival (MPA) |
Teacher retention is a real and genuine problem. I have been seeing and reading numerous articles about teacher retention lately and these articles sparked this blog. Here is a small sample of teacher retention articles:
http://theconversation.com/crisis-in-american-education-as-teacher-morale-hits-an-all-time-low-39226
http://www.news.com.au/finance/work/why-are-so-many-teachers-fleeing-the-classroom/story-fnkgbb3b-1227560880445
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2015/06/12/why-so-many-teachers-leave-and-how-to-get-them-to-stay/
I hope you find some help and affirmation with this information. I know that none of these ideas are groundbreaking concepts, but, hopefully, may be a spark of reflection for you. I love my job, which includes loving the good and bad, "For better or worse..." The challenges are what make the victories and successes much more meaningful and gratifying. I have been close to burnout on more than one occasion, and these reflections helped bring me back to the best job in the world. Understanding what the job truly entails may help you be better prepared for the reality that lies ahead.
So, here is my list of truisms I have discovered along the way...
1. You are not ready! It's OK because none of us were. Accept this fact and do something about it.
You must find a mentor and then ask him/her a lot of questions. Take good notes from everyone you watch teach. Find a way to observe great teachers in action and great musicians making music. It is OK to say, "I do not know the answer, but I will have the answer very fast." However, if you say this too much, you will lose their respect--use this phrase sparingly. Your learning curve is steep and will require a great deal of work outside of class. But we all know, "Nothing great was ever achieved with minimum effort." Your students WILL notice if you are working hard and they will respect you for this characteristic. I made more than my fair share of mistakes over my career, but I keep working at my craft and looking for solutions, not excuses.
Side note: I've been teaching for 24 years and I still seek out mentors and I ask a lot of questions. It is never too late!
2. Be ready to work hard to learn about things no one ever taught you, including things you should've learned.
This list of items might include, but is not limited to, accounting, non-profit laws, personnel management, contract law, leadership skills, communication styles, conflict resolution, organizational skills, record keeping, effective writing, using technology, building databases, grade management, classroom management, building partnerships, fundraising, resource allocation, recruiting, trip planning, fundamentals of salesmanship etc...This is just the non-musical stuff. In music, the list might include, just intonation, tuning tendencies of every instrument, podium presence, listening with your eyes, overtone series, instrument transpositions, fundamental concepts of all instruments, instrument repair, composition, orchestration, ability to listen and diagnose problems for a group and all instruments, how to properly utilize method books, concert and stage etiquette for conductors, how to sequence instruction for students of varying abilities, developing supplemental materials, and creating a program with rigor and relevance to your community. Some of these skills you will learn out of necessity through trial and error. Hopefully, your mentors and your own pursuit of knowledge will teach you the rest. However, failure in these areas is not an option, so find a way to learn all of these skills, and probably a few more I forgot to list.
3. The human dynamic can be overwhelming, but that is what makes the job exciting.
If it was easy, it would not be any fun. If climbing Mt Everest was easy, would people still seek the challenge? You will work and teach a lot of inspiring and extremely grateful people. You will also meet and work with every personality type, disorder, communication style, and eccentricity. People will make unreasonable demands and some people will be disrespectful--often when you least expect it. You must learn to forgive and accept what you cannot control. It is a lot of fun when you make a difference in the lives of these difficult people. Trust me when I tell you, I have worked with and taught many difficult people. However, I am a better person and teacher from these challenging experiences. If you find yourself in a conflict. Take a deep breath. Count to 10. Try to detach yourself from the conflict as much as possible; this is a hard one for me. You should never send an email when you are upset. If you would not want your email published in the newspaper or read aloud at a large gathering, do not send it. You should always deal with conflicts in person and with witnesses. Remember, hurting people hurt people. Try to feel compassion, not anger, for these people when confronted.4. Most students will respect you and value your efforts on their behalf, some will not. Teach them with everything you have anyway.
No one bats a thousand, but we must be a person who expands music in the lives of our students. Keep the batting average as high as possible. Personally, anything below 90% is unacceptable to me.I have always struggled with any failures regarding my students. At first, I took it very personally. I have since used these failures as a point of reflection, but I try to avoid it becoming an obsession.5. Your rewards will not come in monetary form. You will not get paid what you are worth.
You will give much more than you will receive. If you expect or want anything different, you are entering the wrong profession. Your overtime pay is having a great program with successful students. You will put in more hours than almost every teacher in the building. Some may never know how much time you put in, but as the old saying goes, "The proof is in the pudding." They will, however, know if you are not putting in the necessary time. Your rewards will be mostly intrinsic, but those rewards are amazing--you have the ability to truly change a person's life. How cool is that?6. There will always be something new to learn, which is great because every day is an opportunity to grow.
When you think you know it all, please retire or leave the profession. You must be a great student to remain a great teacher. A closed mind is a dangerous weapon in an educational environment. As a teacher, you expect your students to be ready to learn. Shouldn't you lead by example? Plus, life is much more interesting if you are always seeking new knowledge,
7. You must find a way to continue to make music.
If you do, you will always be reminded of the reason why you became a music teacher. Remain a musician at heart. Additionally, find ways to constantly improve your musicianship, because this is one of your most valuable assets to your teaching. Listen to great music and explore new genres. Personally, I have found myself drawn to choral music lately. Watch live music performed by great musicians. Refine your own musical skills. Perform or compose, but MAKE MUSIC!.
8. If you find a way to constantly touch greatness, you will never be short of inspiration.
Feed your soul and sharpen your saw! Teaching is a draining profession because it is a giving profession. If you do not find a way to remain inspired, your professional life will shrivel on the vine. Listen to inspirational music from the great masters of our art music tradition. Read great books from the leading minds of our times, such as Oliver Sacks. Study and read about master teachers, such as John Wooden. Observe master teachers, in all fields. Subscribe to TED talks. Seek out the best in the field and invite them to your program.We are excited that Mike Roylance, Boston Symphony principal tuba, will be performing with our band in December. I am thrilled that my students will get the chance to play on the same stage as a world-class musician.9. Most, but not all, people in education will be student-focused and value what you do.
Consider this a challenge and try to convince the nay-sayers otherwise. Advocate! This was a tough one for me to learn and accept. At first, these negative people really upset me, but then I realized they did not really know any different. In other words, I was not the only one they treated in this manner. Through advocacy, I have been able to convince, motivate and win some new allies. I have not won them all, nor will I. Let it go and move on. If at all possible, surround yourself only with positive and student-focused colleagues.
10. Focus on doing the right things, the right way, on a daily basis, and great things will happen for you.
Be a process person in a product profession. The goal of every day, every rehearsal, every practice session, should be, "Progress, not perfection." Did we get better? That is all that truly matters. "Just get better." Remember, practice makes permanent. Only great results can be achieved from great processes. An important part of the process is to always stay in present time. Dwelling in the past or worrying about the future drain your energy for the present. Countdowns are a destructive way to live because the very process focuses on the elimination of days and focuses too much on the future. Plan for the future but teach in the present. Always!
11. Your students will be able to read you like a book.
They will sense confidence, compassion, leadership, competence and host of other characteristics. Inversely, they will sense when we are unprepared, insecure, uncaring, unsure, and being selfish. When I have had a class I struggled with, it always came back to my own ineffectiveness. That is a tough one to swallow. Accept, reflect and look for solutions. Being a caring teacher does not mean becoming their friends. They do not want a friend because they already have a bunch. They want a leader and a teacher who cares that they learn and grow. There is a big difference.12. In education, there will always be a new innovation, concept, latest-greatest idea that will solve all of our problems; often from the state DOE.
There are no easy answers to difficult problems. Most of these ideas/concepts do not produce as advertised. Keep an open mind with all of these "innovations". Grow when you feel there is value to the concept and will help you and your students grow. Many of these innovations are conceived for traditional classrooms, which we do not teach in, so filter and modify these concepts when necessary. Do not over-react to the presentation or the implications of these concepts. Avoid becoming the "chicken little" in the teacher's lounge. Great teaching will flourish in all environments and through all edicts, "Down from the Mount!"
13. Students will follow a leader who is calm, assertive, competent, caring, and consistent.
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| Who can name this notorious tyrannical conductor? |
14. There is no feeling quite like experiencing the appreciation of your students when they acknowledge everything you do for them.
Some will tell you often. Many will never tell you. Some may not tell you until years later. But, you have the opportunity to touch eternity. By teaching students multiple years, you have the privilege to be one of the most influential teachers and persons in that child's life. That is an awesome responsibility and an amazing privilege. Never lose sight of this essential part of being a music educator.
15. Every situation is unique.
There are no copy-paste functions in education. What worked in one place may not work in another. Learn your community, your students, your school climate, challenges, advantages, etc..and keep trying until you find what motivates your students and helps them to be successful. I am a better teacher for having had the privilege to teach in almost every demographic, socioeconomic status, and academic level from elementary through college. Every level, every demographic, every educational situation has challenges. Bloom where you are planted. Be the difference-maker you set out to be when you became a teacher. Know that all students want to be successful. For some, there may be more outside distractions preventing success or they may have experienced so little success they do not truly know how to be successful at anything. Inversely, some have never experienced failure and when they first struggle at something it feels fatal. The easy answers are rarely immediately apparent, but keep trying. Never let the words, "I am expecting too much from these students." come out of your mouth.
16. If it is on social media, there is no privacy setting that will prevent it from getting out.
Be professional at all times. Seems like common sense, but you would be surprised at the number of people who miss this one.
17. Put teaching students above everything else.
When faced with too many things to do and unreasonable deadlines, always make teaching your students your priority. Emails and phone calls can wait, but should be answered. Paperwork can be done later, but must be done. If a student needs help, you need to make that your priority. Some papers sit around long enough, I can simply cylindrical file the item, which sure makes cleaning the desk easier. However, your window to help a student learn and grow is limited and much more important. Never forget this simple fact.
Hopefully, these reflections may help you in some small way.
All my best!
Andy
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