Change of Plans

I made it through my second week with very few scratches. Monday was our final day of in service and Tuesday we began freshman orientation. It has become abundantly clear even after just one week that schedules are a flux situation. in the middle of the day on Thursday, all the teachers received an email saying that Monday, today, would be a half day. My CT was thrilled to get the extra hours of work time. That lasted about five minutes before he was told that all teachers would be required to spend those two hours helping the freshman learn how to use their iPads. This was not the end of it either. After preparing myself for 7:30 mornings everyday, I learned Friday that the music teachers were adding 7:00 All-State practice. The end of my days changed as well because my CT has both All-State and Show Choir rehearsals after school. He said he rarely goes home in between so I have begun packing both lunch and dinner so as not to starve before I leave the school at 9:00 pm. I realize now that my idea of this schedule being ideal and me leaving the school at the same time everyday was merely a college student's dream and that the reality is that a schedule is never that simple. I have also learned a lot about funding at my school and I find it very new and different than I expected. I will not say any numbers or names but I would not have guessed some of the strange things that happen with money especially because I am at a private school. On a lighter note, I was allowed to help audition the two girls choirs for what their voice part should be. It was nice to get to talk with some of the girls and try to begin learning some names. I do think it will be difficult to learn many names during my student teaching as I simply do not have enough individual contact with the students to effectively remember them by name but I have made it a goal to try and remember as many as I can. I the coming week, I will begin to lead warm ups for the freshman choirs. I cannot wait to see how the students interact with me as a teacher.

Also, I have decided to add a song to each of my posts which relates to my post. Enjoy!

Kyrie Eleison...

I can sum up my first two days at Xavier High School in a few words but I will elaborate a bit. My first observation is how many people have families. I don't know if that is actually strange but I couldn't believe that nearly every teacher had a husband or wife and most had or wanted children. Slightly off the topic of teaching but it does make for an interesting school environment especially when the teachers talk about it all the time. Also, it became abundantly clear that I was at a Catholic school very quickly. I felt very out of the loop because I am not Catholic. Christian, yes. Catholic, no. So when it came to Mass and prayer meetings in the chapel, I had no idea what to say or do. It was very helpful to sight read all the Mass music so I could be the leader and I'm sure by the end of these eight weeks I will catch on to how these things run. Perhaps the most relevant thing I noticed was the department set up. Since the school is not overly large, the music department is only three people. While all the other academic departments were allowed to talk with teachers who taught the same subjects they did, the music, art, and drama teachers were forced to become a fine arts "department". This is not altogether bad as the departments do function in similar ways and do work together often with musicals, however, it was difficult to form department goals when there are three subjects. The teachers in the department also get along interestingly. Often, some teachers really want to focus and get a lot of work done while some of the others would rather goof off and work later. This caused some distress within the group and by the second day part of the group simply left halfway through and one member never came. This will be interesting to watch over the coming weeks to see how these relationships affect the work in the department. The final thought I have for this post is that my cooperating teacher has often left me in a place where I don't know what to do. He has arrived late both days and has left group time in the middle never to return and making me have to come find him. I assume this is simply him being busy but if not then I will have to either address the problem or develop independence very quickly. Altogether, the week was a bit rough but manageable. I look forward to continuing to learn from this school and to become a better teacher for it.

In the Beginning...

As I begin on this long road to becoming a teacher with this first step, I am reminded of how it all began. Music. I am first and foremost a singer and I have always held music in the highest regard. My passion for teaching did not appear until much later. I view music as an exalted experience and I cherish every moment that I get to spend being around it. I have always thought that one day I would be a performer and honestly that option is still on my table. When I was thinking about the pop songs I wanted to write, they all had a them of bettering the world. I truly believe that music possesses that power. However, it is hard for one person to guaranty they will become famous enough to make a difference with their music. That was when I shifted my thinking. What if instead of being the leader of this cultural revolution through music I instead became the mentor who taught the masses to do my work for me. Enter teaching. I want to teach so that I can show children how to make their lives better through music and hopefully inspire a few more students like myself to continue to improve the world through music. I know this may be difficult and I anticipate dealing with students who simply do not feel as strongly as I do about music but that is okay. Not everyone wants music in their lives and not everyone needs it in the same way I do. Someday, I hope my legacy is a generation of students who feel that I have taught them how to appreciate music and how to incorporate it into their lives even if it is not their livelihood or they do not perform it themselves. I anxiously, and nervously, await my student teaching and I hope that I find the passion I need to make this a career.