Data driven teaching and classroom management is the method du jour, and in order to have this data, if it is not collected ourselves, then it is derived from educational research.  The data we collect ourselves can obviously be flawed, depending on whether  those involved participate correctly and then how the data is interpreted.  This interpretation can be skewed depending on what angle you approach the issue, meaning the research can back up just about anything you want.  And like anything else, if you take it out of context from other research and just pick and choose you’re likely to do more harm than good.

For instance, as educators, we’re all about engagement strategies.  How do we keep kids engaged in learning?  So we have Kagan and cooperative learning, Marzano research, growth mindset, Anita Archer explicit instructions among many others.  Some research says technology is the answer to engagement while other research says too much technology is hurting our students.  And yet, other research tells us that all we need to do is have more involvement in the arts and more recess to increase engagement.  Some research says it’s a simple matter of even more time needed in all areas of academics with “enrichment” classes to keep students engaged.  Not sure what was was meant by “enrichment” but what does that say about how students engage in “academic” classes otherwise?  Perhaps we need to have music, PE, and art to keep kids engaged in what I’ve heard labeled as the “hard classes”?  Don’t get me started.

In academia however, sometimes the bottom line is not really the kids or the teachers, it’s about money and results.  So what we end up doing is using research to fit our plan rather than drive our plan.  For instance, the powers that be decide that classroom management issues are due to lack of engagement and find research that backs up that theory.  They then provide teachers with required professional development because the research says this will work. This is a much less expensive option than let’s say, the research says that children need more recess, but that means we’ll have to extend the school day to get in the needed academics and that means we’ll have to pay teachers more.  I once had a conversation with a supervisor and when I questioned a situation because I felt it would be detrimental to the students, he actually said, and this is a quote – it’s not about the kids.  It’s about fulfilling contracts.

So why all the research driven teaching when common sense tells us otherwise?  Accountability to the tax paying public and legislators is usually the answer.  Even if there remains a problem, it sounds better to say that the district is investing in research based, data driven strategies to increase engagement and achievement rather than say we’re providing more recess to help the students reboot cognitively I suppose.  And because the public perception right now is that a school that is technologically forward thinking is a great thing, using research that says too much screen time for children is harmful could be detrimental when it comes to public support.

An analogy I could use is people who pick and choose passages out of the Bible that fit them and what they want to believe rather than changing their lives to reflect the passages.  We all do it.  Chances are it’s easier but the question is,  is it right and in this culture, does doing what’s right matter anymore to people?  We’ve made everything so complicated and burdensome to everyone involved when the only question we should be asking is what is best for children?  Is starting academics the second they walk in the Kindergarten door best for children or is working on soft skills like working together, following directions and sharing?  We know littles don’t multi-task well, that’s why we give only one direction at a time to start.  Why then would we expect them to just pick up the soft skills while they’re learning academics?  It makes no sense.  And not having those soft skills may be what is causing the issues with behavior and classroom management later which can hinder engagement.  Am I oversimplifying?  Maybe.  But as professionals, there are things we know to be true about children and sometimes the research we’re expected to follow tells us the complete opposite.

Research is important and used in the right way, can be a great help to teachers and their students.  But when we pick and choose the research to fuel our own agenda in academia, are we really serving our students the way we could and should, or are we answering to others instead?  Like everything else in life, don’t always take things at face value – test it to see if what you’ve chosen helps our bottom line as teachers – our students.

Maybe it’s the weather, maybe it’s the events of the last several days, maybe it’s built up frustration that is writing this blog tonight.  I’m unsettled, sad and trying to make some decisions.  Decisions based on whether or not I’m doing what I’m meant to be doing, questioning if I’m past my prime,.  And anger that I’m beginning to feel like a dinosaur in an age when a person’s level of tech savvy seems to determine their relevance.  I’m not the one making me feel like a dinosaur however.  I have confidence in what I can do for and with kids.  However, when I’m asked what it is that I do with kids, and it’s not necessarily using every app under the sun and having kids bring their chromebooks to class, people are beginning to look at me, my age and just shake their heads.

Culturally, I am feeling somewhat dismissed, as if it’s perceived that I’m living in the past and haven’t kept up with the times.  When some new method of teaching or behavior management pops up, I look at it through the eyes of experience.  Does this really work for kids?  Have we done something similar to this before? And what I hear is things like, kids are so used to technology that we need to get to them on that level.  And when I disagree with that, when I say I don’t think technology is good for kids, or that it should only be used as a tool or I can teach without it altogether, again younger people just shake their heads.  Oh, they say all kinds of very nice things like, you’re such a master teacher or you have so much experience, but the truth is, very seldom is that experience taken seriously.

I’m not at all saying that these young teachers aren’t great people, and it’s certainly not every young teacher, but I believe they’re just under the mistaken idea that technology is the answer to everything.  It’s faster and more efficient and it’s a language the kids speak.  And while that may be very true, the bigger question is, are they learning?  After all, isn’t that the purpose of using all of this stuff?  Having the ability to manipulate a tool is not the same as learning and retention.  When we take that tool and put it in place of the original computer, our brain, then real learning is not taking place.

Behavior management is much the same.  I’ve talked about this before.  We’re relying on technology to collect data that we look at in a collective manner to determine where and when the problems lie but never really the WHY.  I should never say never I supposed, but if a why is discovered and a possible solution doesn’t fit into our current teaching requirements, like say, adding more or longer recesses, then it is tossed.  My experience tells me that continuing to set parameters, giving relevant, meaningful consequences for their actions and doing it out of love is the answer as well as allowing kids to play and teaching soft skills.  And they are not my friends, they are my students,  They need an adult they can rely on and look up to, not a friend to play with.  When I call them friends (and yes, I slip into the prescribed lingo), I am minimizing the relationship I should have with them.  But according to the experts, who swear these non-evasive methods work, I’m old school.  And yet I see the same students struggling for years under this philosophy of classroom management.  I follow this philosophy because I am an employee, but in my heart and with my experience, I know it doesn’t work but while people are kind and listen to what I have to say, it feels dismissed.

So, do I need to do some research to back up my claims?  Is my experience enough?  Do I need to write a book?  Start a school?  I don’t know, but this is not working and it makes me question things.  If I’m not able to contribute anymore in a way that I feel strongly about, then why am I here?  Am I just a grumpy old person as may be perceived, or, as I feel in my mind and heart, a rebel who is fighting a system that has lost its way?

Most days I’m okay with what I do and maybe when the weather warms up and the snow and wind go away I’ll start to feel better mentally.  Let me be clear that I don’t believe that lining kids up in desks and lecturing at them all day is the way to go, but kids are kids and when we find a way that kids learn and retain, we should stick with it.  And that may not always be through technology.  It may be through drilling facts until they stick, or telling great stories or playing great games. And if technology can be used as a tool to accomplish those things, great.  But never underestimate the experience and head knowledge of a older teacher.  They’re almost always relevant, even without being tech savvy.

 

Several months ago, I asked a question of the readers of this blog to see what they thought of what had been written so far.  One reader said she liked what I wrote but felt like I was maybe “holding back” for some reason.  There would be many reasons to “hold back” I suppose, not knowing how people might react to certain things I wrote.  After all, if it’s something very personal, what would people think about me?  What if I said something I really believe, even if it was very different from the popular culture?  Could I handle any backlash that might occur? My past is full of times when I have held back, many times out of fear, sometimes for survival.

So recently, I’ve tried to not “hold back” in a couple of blogs and was surprised that they  were favorably received and I did not receive the backlash I feared.  Just because there is fear doesn’t mean I still don’t feel strongly about things and writing it down is not just a way to get those thoughts on paper, but a way to release some emotions attached to those thoughts.  And up to this point, I have been careful never to name names and have tried to make things more universal in terms of subject matter.  But despite that, I may have overstepped a line recently.

I thought I was being “general” in my words but apparently I wasn’t general enough and there were readers who knew who I was talking about and it has made for an uncomfortable experience for all concerned.  I have always been one to talk about being professional, but the professional thing to do would have been to just talk to this person without writing about it.  As I’ve always said, words are powerful and now I’ve experienced just how powerful they can be, in a most negative way.  My concerns still remain, but how I handled it was definitely not one of my shining moments.

So to my friends, I apologize publicly for the manner in which I chose to express my concerns.  It’s certainly a lesson in humility and raises the question of when and where it’s okay to let go and express yourself.  I know there are people who write things all the time in the media and on social media, not seeming to care who they hurt or insult, but maybe they don’t have to face those people in the morning.  As a wannabe writer, I dream of writing things that can challenge other’s way of thinking but the challenge for me will be if I can do it without holding back and without hurting others.  Just shows you’re never too old to learn.

 

 

I’m sitting at my desk, looking at the board where there are pictures of a basketball, a door, pants, high heels and a toilet.  My student teacher says, ”Ok, I’ll be the toilet”, then  realizes what she said and laughs. The kids are performing a soundscape based on sounds they heard while doing a listening walk through the building.  And, well, this is a school, so the chances of hearing a toilet flush at some point during the walk were pretty high.  The students have instruments representing the pictures/sounds and are playing when the student conductor points to them, sometimes alone, sometimes two at a time.  It ends up being a pretty cool improvisational composition.

Most adults don’t realize that we’re doing these kinds of sophisticated exercises with young students in class, despite the fact that sometimes they include toilets. In fact, most adults are remembering the elementary music class that THEY had; one where they sat and sang or sat and played a recorder or sat and read notes in patterns.  Things have certainly changed and music teachers are having to change with it.

I’m going to step away from the music here for a minute to talk about something that may seem unrelated, but I promise, I will return in a moment.  Back in the day, when I was in high school, we had something called phase electives.  While there were advanced placement classes, which a lot of friends chose because they were advised to for college, there were also choices within each subject.  For instance, instead of American or World History, I chose to take a class called “The Roaring Twenties and Turbulent Thirties”.   I chose Shakespeare tragedies and a drama class about writing, and a logic class, among others.  I always chose things that were ranked pretty highly in terms of difficulty, but I also chose those things I wanted to learn.  And just like my friends in those advanced placement classes, I passed my ACT test, testing high enough in English to bypass the introductory college English class.  So maybe students choosing what they want to learn increases their actual learning?

Over the last decade or so, certain educators have been discussing something called student directed learning.  This doesn’t mean that students get to choose anything they want to learn, but, just like I had to choose classes placed within different disciplines, students have the ability to make their own choices in terms of how they want to learn concepts within the curriculum.  Classrooms haven’t changed much in a very long time, when it was the custom to put students in rows where the teacher lectured all day and the kids were expected to sit, listen, remember and regurgitate.  Unless a teacher has a degree in stand-up comedy along with his/her education degree, they aren’t going to “entertain” students well enough just standing and talking for 50 minutes to keep them engaged.  This is where student directed learning comes in, the theory being if students choose what they want to learn, they will be more engaged.

So, for teachers like me who were trained in the old school way, how do I take an elementary music class and create space for students to choose what and how they want to learn, especially when so much of it is skills based?  The soundscaping composition we did today isn’t really student directed because they had to choose among instruments picked for them and we only chose certain sounds from the walk.  Even for teachers trained in different methodologies like Orff, Kodaly or Dalcroze, much of it is still teacher led.  I do, we do. With student directed learning it’s really I do, we do, you do. Is it crazy that just as I’m seeing retirement in the not so distant future, that I’m intrigued by this?  What would it look like in my classroom for my kids to be teaching themselves and how would I structure that to make it happen?  It would be worth it to have my kids more engaged and really learning.  Without having to use toilets for attention getting purposes.

 

 

 

 

 

Tomorrow marks the 5 year anniversary of my mother’s passing.  As I sit and contemplate my life since that time, unlike most of the people I know who are dealing with the loss of a parent, I find myself in a much better place.  When I hear of a friend who has recently lost a parent or talk to someone who remembers their parent with great love, I’m a bit jealous, but also a bit clueless.  Having never felt that way before, even though I feel like I should, it’s hard for me to relate.

My separation from her began about five years before she died, which was right after  my dad passed away.  Dad was a good man who worked hard and loved us, even if he didn’t always know how to show it.  We shared a great love of music and it was hard when he died.  I admit I was a horrible daughter because I didn’t see him very often before he died, but we lived here and they were in Kentucky, and well, I had to deal with my mother when I went.  It would take me days to recover mentally after seeing her, and migraines always erupted when I visited.  We traveled to the funeral and the final straw was when my mother wouldn’t let my brother be a pallbearer and would not let him ride in the car with the family.  One of my sons stepped up and said it wasn’t right to do that so he gave up his place for my brother.  She didn’t dare say anything to her professed “favorite” grandson (at least to me), so it worked.  However, when she placed a picture of my dad with his great-grandchild next to the casket, the grandchild my brother had never seen or met because of interference from my mother, that was it.  I had had enough of her cruelty.  And so I stepped away for the last five years of her life.

I would love to say that seeing her right before she passed was a great exercise in reconciliation and forgiveness, but it was not.  Not even close.  So when she passed away, once the obligations were finished, the weight of her began to lift.   I’ve always been concerned that people would consider me heartless, but I don’t think I am.  I think I finally made the decision to protect myself and stand up for my brother as well.

So how have things changed?  Well, I don’t hear her in my head as much anymore, although occasionally I’ll hear her voice say something that will take me back temporarily.  I’m usually able to talk myself out of it pretty quickly now, remembering all the blessings I have in terms of family, friends and circumstances.  People who have always treated me more kindly than my own mother ever did.

Forgiveness is something that has come slowly but surely.  There was just so much anger and fear before and now, as I can look more objectively at her as a person and not just my mother, I understand that there were things in her past that contributed to her behavior, most of it coming from fear, frustration, insecurity and uncertainty.  I just happened to get in the way.  And so yes, I have things in my head that are hard to forget, but looking at them through the eyes of forgiveness and working to look forward instead of to the past has propelled me onward.

Instead of her voice in my head telling me I’m a failure, I have proven otherwise.  Still learning, yes, but failure now is just a sign of trying.  Instead of her voice telling me I’m clumsy, or my teeth and nose are too big or my hair is too scraggly, I look at myself now and know God created me to be unique and this is who I am.  Some days are better than others, but it is what it is, right?  Her voice said my marriage would never last a year because I was too immature.  This year will mark 38 years with my best friend.  Maybe she was just projecting her fears on me, but I will not allow her to do it any longer.

However, the greatest thing I’ve received is peace.  The fear is gone.  I don’t have to fear her words or actions anymore and I’ve learned not to allow any other toxic person into my life.  I believe that we need to have times of real struggle and heartache in our lives in order to feel gratitude for the magical times experiencing life with wonderful people.  Time can be a teacher, and the last five years have taught me that the best is yet to be.

 

I was reading a post this morning concerning the walk out by Oklahoma teachers.  This angry parent wrote in great detail how not one, but two teachers mistreated her child at school and not only were they not disciplined, they were rehired by the school district.  Because of this experience, she says she will never support teachers in their fight.  All it takes is one, or in this case, two bad apples to spoil the whole bunch.

Is it fair that teachers are held to a higher standard?  Based on what they are paid, probably not.  However, because we work with their most precious young people, we should hold ourselves to a higher standard.  Every time I see a story in the news about some teacher doing something stupid, I become angry because I know despite the fact that there are literally millions of teachers doing their very best, day in a day out, all it takes is that one to give the public the perception that all teachers are this way.

I wish I could say there was a process to vet teachers in such a way that we could guarantee nothing but the very best of people in our classrooms.  However, the truth is that any person who pays their money to go through a teacher education program and then pays to be certified can teach.  Teachers must go through background checks, and then regular observations and assessments throughout their careers, but even the best of administrators and districts cannot keep up with everything their employees do.  Districts have their teachers go through regular training on a myriad of topics, including medical conditions, special needs, mental health issues, and trauma, just to name a few, in order to serve their students as best they can, but this training can’t guarantee that the teacher won’t do something, well – stupid.

You hear a story how a teacher does something inappropriate or neglectful with or to a child and suddenly it’s not just about that individual, but the entire profession is garbage.  I am honestly so sorry this child had such a horrible experience and I can completely understand why this mom who posted is so angry.  I would be too.  But, maybe the teacher wasn’t informed about this child’s medical condition.  Maybe the child was misbehaving and the teacher followed normal procedure and policies in this instance.  Maybe the district backed the teacher because they know the teacher’s complete history of teaching and this was his or hers first offense.  Unfortunately we only know this from the mom’s point of view, completely valid, but not necessarily the whole picture.  Again, not excusing the teachers, but it’s hard to make a judgement without all the information.

I have been a cooperating teacher for many years now, and have worked with student teachers who I knew almost immediately would make great teachers, and I’ve also worked with students who did not belong in the profession.  Most of those students ended up doing something else, thank goodness, as their passions and priorities were in the wrong place. I would never encourage any of the students I work with to stay in education just because they didn’t know what else to do.  I would never recommend a student who didn’t have a strong work ethic, a loving heart for all children and a thick skin because they will need all of these things.  Anyone can pass the classes to qualify to become a teacher, but it takes those intangibles to be a true educator.  And those educators need to be treated with respect, not just monetarily, but by providing them them with the necessary resources to take care of their students.  Up to date materials, safe facilities, and staff support in the form of counselors and mental health professionals are just a few of the things that will show educators that they and their mission are respected.

My hope is that legislators and the public not judge the entire profession by a few individuals with problems, because the vast majority of teachers care about their students like they were their own.  The one bad apple doesn’t have to spoil the whole bunch.

I’m sitting on the chaise in my favorite spot, Doug sitting to my right on the couch and my son pacing the floor.  X-files is on the TV, laptop on my lap, TV trays out with our dessert plates and drink cups on them.  I’ve been struggling with something to write tonight as I haven’t done a whole lot this weekend.  It’s been really lazy around here, to the point where we even tried out grocery delivery.  That’s something I could maybe get used to.  We did the usual weekend cleaning and washing clothes yesterday but then we did nothing but watch Star Wars and X-files.  Things we have done over and over again.  The height of predictability.

What does your week look like?  Are you doing the same things on the same days and times?  There is something to be said about organized schedules and habits and the security and continuity they bring to our lives, but at what point does it become a rut? It takes effort to make a change in our routines and as busy as we are, it’s just easier to keep doing what we always do. Even if they’re unhealthy or unsafe.

So many times our schedules are driven by others.  Perhaps you have to run kids to sports or music practices, you have to arrive at your job at the same time everyday, you have meetings or exercise classes to get to each week.  Maybe you feel like you don’t have room for something new and different.  The problem with filling up your days with things, even good things, is that you don’t have room for change, and life without change can stifle us.

So imagine what this kind of schedule does to a school aged child.  They are already stuck in an inflexible schedule at school where they are told when to change classes, when to eat and when to go to the bathroom.  Then they get picked up from school and go to any number of gymnastic, dance, soccer, piano, practices/rehearsals, sometimes throwing down dinner from a drive-thru and getting to bed late.  Recess at school has all but been eliminated and then as parents, we again take away free time to get them in every possible organized activity known to man.  When do they have time for free play and creativity?  It’s the same thing we could ask of ourselves – when do WE have time for free play and creativity?

Is it selfish to want to do something fun, different and creative for ourselves? Numerous sources tell us that if we take care of ourselves first that we’re much better equipped to take care of others.  But how many of us stretch ourselves to the limit, doing the same predictable things over and over again and feeling ourselves getting lost?  Or we’re just so tired that we stay with the predictable just because we’re too tired to do anything else.  It can be a crazy cycle.

Doug will be out of town for a few days this week and that’s where I really get set in predictability.  I’ll go to school, grabbing breakfast on the way, stay for any meetings, go home, straighten up, make dinner (or pick something up) and sit on the chaise thinking of something to write or trying to catch up on work I need to do.  All it would take would be just changing or adding one new thing to get me out of the the predictability rut.  How about you?  Are you willing to fight predictability with me?

 

 

 

The current  philosophy in terms of student support, as least in our district, is that grace is giving a child what they need, not what they deserve.   It’s interesting that this current philosophy chooses to use this word in helping children to develop certain life skills. In the Christian faith, grace is the love of God shown to the unlovely; the peace of God given to the restless; the unmerited favor of God. Is this really what we want to give to children who have difficulties learning right from wrong?

It’s easy to pick and choose those things we want to use from the Bible or any other religious books for that matter.  The problem is that when you pick and choose you take a great chance of taking things out of context.  So while the concept of grace alone sounds like a virtuous thing, life is not all about grace.  Unfortunately not everyone wants or accepts grace.  Other scriptures state, “Men reap the consequences for their actions” Galatians 6:7-8, TLB. “Don’t be misled; remember that you can’t ignore God and get away with it: a man will always reap just the kind of crop he sows! If he sows to please his own wrong desires, he will be planting seeds of evil and he will surely reap a harvest of spiritual decay and death; but if he plants the good things of the Spirit, he will reap the everlasting life which the Holy Spirit gives him.”

Consequences, especially what I like to term “natural” consequences are a part of life.  You put your hand on a hot stove after you’ve been told not to, you get burned.  You step out into oncoming traffic without looking, even after you are taught not to, and you get hit by a car.  Natural consequences.  Those are obvious physical consequences to actions, but it’s a little harder to explain or decide upon consequences when you’re talking about things like kindness, respect or responsibility.  For instance, just talking to a child who has been disrespectful multiple times is obviously not working.  There have to be consequences severe enough that it teaches the child not to be disrespectful anymore.

While things like kindness, respect and responsibility are hard concepts to teach, it’s easy to see the results when children lack these character traits.  Children who are bullied on the playground, lack of respect not only for each other but for the adults in the school and poor treatment of materials and facilities are the results of this lack of character.  As teachers, and I believe, as adults in general,  we struggle to come up with consequences for these children because of constraints put upon us by the political correctness and cultural pressure that permeates public education.

Everyone seems to want to treat children like little adults, giving them the same rights and privileges.  We laugh and encourage little ones when they display some attitude or sass, or spout inappropriate language they’ve picked up “somewhere” and put them on social media as if this is a great thing.  We give them everything they want in terms of the latest and greatest, we give in to whatever demands they have.  For instance, I can’t imagine demanding I have something different for dinner than what was served.  I wore the clothes bought for me, I ate what was put in front of me, watched TV when I was allowed and went to bed when I was told.  And there were consequences if I chose to do differently.  I was taught to treat the things I was given well or they were taken away.  I was punished if I was unkind to my brother.  I believe that children are born being kind, but there’s a lot in this world to teach them the opposite and if they see examples of that unkindness getting away with it, they think they can too.

The longer I teach, the more I see.  I see students who have everything they need and yet they insist on destroying materials.  Holes poked into things, folders torn on purpose, erasers ripped off pencils, erasers torn to pieces.  Unnecessary destruction.  I see kids who don’t want to take responsibility for their actions, whether it be picking up after themselves, taking care of their belongings or owning up to things they’ve done or said.  Respect is a lost art for so many of these children.  I had a child just the other day who, when asked to do something, did the loud heavy sign, arms flung up in the air, stomping  and then the eye roll.  When I tried talking to him about his actions, he really didn’t understand what he had done wrong.

Not all of my students are like this obviously, however, the students who struggle with this are chronic offenders, and our only remedy is to show grace.  The “consequences” dolled out are ineffective and not only do we know it, but the students know it as well.  It is not enough to make them change or even want to change.  I’m no expert in behavior, despite the fact that I’ve been working with children for almost thirty years, but to me it just makes more sense to administer consequences first, then give grace when they’re trying to do the right thing but will occasionally fail.  We’re all human, after all and we need that grace when we screw up.

I love my students, all of them, and the ones that struggle the most are the ones that tug at my heartstrings.  They’re the ones who run up for a hug or want to tell me all about their day.  They want to do the right thing, but need the help to do it.  I’m showing grace when I give appropriate consequences.  It will help them learn how to treat people and property, respecting all.  It will help them in terms of getting and keeping jobs and developing solid relationships with family and friends.  It’s important enough that I need to make sure they understand in any appropriate way that I can, even if the consequence is difficult for them because life is difficult and I want them to succeed.

 

 

 

Way back in the dark ages when I was student teaching, working towards a K-12 vocal music education degree, I was expected to do 8 weeks at the secondary level and 8 weeks at the elementary level.  I was convinced that I wanted to do secondary and I was thrilled when I was placed in the one of the best school districts in the area, knowing they had an amazing music/theater department.  The dreams were shattered when the director wouldn’t let me do anything of substance.  Oh sure, I got to warm up the group with rhythm reading and I did all of his paperwork, but I only conducted one piece with his middle school group and I’m pretty sure he was disappointed that I didn’t play piano well enough to be his accompanist.  It was a miserable 8 weeks.  Then I moved on to the elementary school.

The school was off the beaten path and the building was old but the teacher was warm and welcoming as was the itinerant band director.  We had lunches together, got to know each other, but the best part was that I was expected to do my own lesson planning, my own teaching and my own assessment.  She even left me alone with them.  She wasn’t concerned that I would ruin her kids (I don’t think I did) and she allowed me to experiment, make mistakes and then she gave me constructive criticism.  A completely different experience and I think that’s why I settled in with teaching general music.

Great supervising teachers are so needed for these students as they end their undergraduate journey.  These future educators are wanting to get an experience that will help them feel more secure when they begin their own teaching career.  The only way they can do that is if the supervising teacher is willing to let go of a good amount of control and allow the student to try things and, well, make mistakes.  We tell our elementary students this all the time, that it’s okay to make mistakes because that means they’re trying.  And yet, when it comes to student teachers, a lot of supervising teachers are afraid to let go.

Sure, I know that we have essential learning outcomes to cover, the pacing won’t be the same and they may not cover as much material.  And I know that any classroom management difficulties can lead to less engagement from my students.  But this is all part of the learning process for everyone.  Young students can certainly be included in the process of helping the student teacher, it encourages my students to assist and have patience with things that will be different and this is good for them as it teaches them kindness and flexibility.  It’s certainly a learning process for the student teacher when the “real deal” doesn’t behave or catch on nearly as well as their peers whom they’ve been practicing on for a couple of years.  And as the supervising teacher, it’s my job to watch, step in when necessary, but to also to step back and let them figure it out.  What happens when you don’t plan enough to do and you’ve got 10 minutes left of class?  What happens when the technology doesn’t work?  What happens when the kids all start singing jingle bells at the top of their lungs in the middle of a lesson – in March?  Stepping in doesn’t always help.  It may take longer, but letting the student teacher try to figure it out will be better for them in the long run.

So what if the student teacher is really struggling, or, as I’ve experienced, doesn’t need to be teaching at all?  Well, that’s the tough part of being a supervising teacher.  Sure, it’s wonderful when you get someone who just walks in like they were made for the job.  I don’t always feel very useful when this happens, but it’s nice. However, when you have a student teacher who is having a difficult time, it’s easy for the teacher to want to step in so the student doesn’t “ruin their program”.  I’ve always figured that I wouldn’t be much of a teacher if I couldn’t get my kids back on track after having a student teacher so while a struggling student teacher is a ton more work, it’s still my classroom and I will be able to take care of my kids.

One of the things I’ve always heard from my student teachers is that they appreciate the closer to “real life” experience I allow them.  Sure, I’m still sitting in the corner working on things, but it’s their class.  I’ve been fortunate to have a part in working with a lot of practicum students and student teachers and I’ve seen the majority of them become excellent educators, most of them still in the profession. I really believe that giving guidance but allowing them freedom to become their own teacher with their own personality and style is the key.  I certainly don’t want a bunch of mini-me’s running around because those are the teachers that haven’t discovered who they are or what they can do, and unfortunately the ones who I believe, leave the profession.  I hope that my former students will far exceed things I’ve been able to do in the classroom.  And as for my kids, they’ve never really suffered.  Kids bounce back quickly if their teacher has built a solid foundation for their classroom.  And I’m always happy when they bounce back to me as my student teacher goes on to fulfill their own teaching dreams.

 

I stood at the bathroom sink this morning, watching it crawl up the wall.  It was HUGE, at least the size of my pinkie nail with those eight creepy legs making their  way towards the ceiling.  Do I kill it or let it crawl?  I hate killing spiders almost as much as the spiders themselves.  No, if I let it crawl it could eventually make it over to the shower and come down on my head.  Spiders like to do that, you know.  No, I needed to kill it, but how?  I could just use a tissue, but then there’s just the tissue between me and certain death.  I needed a shoe.  But not just any shoe.  A shoe with as flat a sole as possible so that he couldn’t escape into one of the crevices and scare me when I looked at the bottom of the shoe.  So, I found the shoe, found just the right spot to hit it with and just for good measure, I smeared the shoe on the wall.  What remained was a splotch of brown pieces that now no longer looked like a spider, so I could wipe it up and flush it.  Not put it in the trash can because it could regenerate or something.

This one tiny spider – and I admit it was tiny – completely threw me off of my routine, as spiders can do.  When the boys were living at home, all I had to do was yell spider and somebody came running, sometimes working in tandem, one killing the spider, one disposing of the dead carcass.  Now that they’re grown and mostly gone and I am at home alone sometimes, my biggest fear is coming upon a spider too large to deal with.  I’m not sure where the fear initially came from, but I can remember my mother being so afraid of spiders and snakes (sounds like Jim Stafford for all you oldies out there) that all she had to do was come upon a picture unexpectedly and she would screech out loud.  As we got older, my brother and I were tempted to put a picture out on occasion to scare her on purpose, but I think we were afraid to die, so we didn’t.  Anyway, enough of that screeching and I think I developed the same phobia, although I don’t usually screech at pictures, just the real thing.

I have been trapped by spiders two times I can remember.  Once in the kitchen when there was a wolf spider between me and the door, I yelled “spider!!!” and I was up on the counter so fast I surprised myself.  The guys just walked in that time and laughed at me before they finally got the spider.  I was not amused.  Probably the worst time was when we were living in an upper floor apartment and there was only one door and I was supposed to go pick Doug up from school after rehearsal or something.  The problem was there was this huge wolf spider between me and the door and there were no boys yet to call.  Sure, we had a sliding door to the patio, but I wasn’t going to rappel down the outside wall of the building, so I had to get rid of the spider somehow without actually touching it.

Perhaps throwing shoes at it would be the answer.  If my aim was just right, maybe I could squish it from afar, but no such luck.  After going through every pair of shoes we owned and marking up both sides of the entry hall, I began to panic.  These were the days before cell phones and I had no way to contact Doug to let him know what was going on.  Maybe if I had some bug spray I could spray it to death.  So I found some ant spray and emptied the can on it.  It was still moving.  Next I tried every spray cleaner I owned and it was still twitching.  Twitching means that, just like any good horror movie, it could come back to life and jump on me, so it had to be all curled up and still before I would know it was dead.  What finally worked?  Well I probably traumatized the thing with the shoes first, but seems hair spray freezes the spider completely stiff, just like my hair.  After waiting a while longer, I plastered myself against the opposite wall from the spider, stepping over a mountain of shoes and finally left to get Doug.  He still remembers walking in to all those shoes laying all around that stiff, crumpled spider.

On occasion, spiders get into my room at school and my custodian will be informed immediately if I don’t have any kids in the room so that he can get rid of it.  However, if I have a class, much like I did with my boys, I don’t yell “spider” (because that’s not cool), I merely state, in a very calm voice “I need someone who doesn’t mind getting this spider for me” and invariably several students will come forward while I stand back “supervising”.  While I might be a little more calm when I come upon a spider these days, there are two things I will always keep on hand.  Hairspray and plenty of shoes.