Today I read "Shifting the Paradigm" From Shannon Renkly and Katherine Bertolini
Looking at what kind of person I am and teacher I want to be, reading this article has helped me understand where I felt I struggled in school as a kid. Public school in my opinion is a one size fits all mindset or was one. Looking at what this is saying is a lot of teachers are now encouraged to get to know their students and think about each and every one of them, which is good. But this was not always the case, I was always told and got in trouble for being lazy or not doing my work or not paying attention in class when I just was not really learning how they were teaching.
As a music teacher I feel like the role of a teacher is quite different than a regular teacher. You typically will be able to spend a lot more time with a group of students because you will be running a choir or band and those typically will run after school and during summers, field trips will happen and there will be a tighter connection between teacher and student. Being able to know your students like this will help you figure out how each individual child learns and thrives, when something bothers them or if something you do works especially well. My chorus teacher and band teacher both knew me very well and were vital to me passing my other classes, they knew how to help me and when because of that connection. Even reaching into my personal life as well, they helped me figure out I have a real passion for music and teaching. In music classes there is a little bit of a difference when it comes to the content, a lot of the content when teaching a choir or band is very emotional. You are creating music and that is a very vulnerable activity. The kids involved need to be able to open themselves up and feel comfortable enough to tell their story through their instrument whether that be via voice woodwind brass etc.
Knowing your children is such a large part of teaching, and the way you get to know them is pay attention to grades and instead of assuming this is because of a reason, dig a little bit to find the real problem. You can possibly change that child's life.
