Journal Highlights
- May 1, 2017
- 7 min read
I love going to the Middle School! This has been really beneficial for me because it's helped me realize even more that this is what I want to be doing. I have genuinely loved going and helping these students! One experience that especially stands out this week is how I've been able to help a young girl named Daniella. She is originally from Mexico and doesn't speak English so it has been really hard for her to keep up with the other students and to fit in. It really is the perfect setup for me to help her because I speak Spanish and she is learning clarinet which is my main instrument. I've really seen a change in her, she is more and more excited to be in class and after just a few days working with her she is making great progress!
Something I've seen is that in a group of students everyone is diverse, but what I love about music is that it brings everyone together. One thing I learned this week was of a boy who is in our percussion class that has Muscular Dystrophy and I didn't even realize it until Mr. Lee told me this past week. He couldn't even walk until a year ago, after they did a surgery turning his feet outward. It really surprised me to learn of this because I wouldn't have even known had Mr. Lee not said something, and I realized that we really don't know the kinds of challenges students are facing and that's why we need to always be alert and aware, ready to help where we can as educators. Carter works really hard to do everything required of him, and even though he has experienced these setbacks in his life - now he's playing percussion instruments that require lots of standing, heavy lifting, (among other things) and he doesn't let it get him down. Students are so amazing! We should never limit them or their abilities.
This week at Cedar Middle School with the Band I had the opportunity to work with the percussion students as they did scale pass offs. I was really impressed by some however a few others took a little more time to get through their scales and I could tell they didn't really know exactly what they were doing. Instead of just giving them a bad grade, I took the time to explain the circle of fifths/order of sharps and flats a little so that instead of just struggling with the notes on the page they could understand a little more of the theory that comes with it. It made me so happy to see the improvement that they made and see that "light bulb" come on for them. Afterwards talking with Mr. Lee He told me I did the right thing taking the time to show them how. He said "We're here to teach! Not to give grades!" I truly feel that that is the most important, it's something that has really bothered me in the way the education system has become for a lot of people. I for one have that goal to always care more about what is learned then the grade received.
This week I continued working at the Middle School with the band program. I truly love working there and now this Thursday I'll be going on a field trip with them as a chaperone. It's really rewarding to go and work with these students and it excites me for when I will be in a classroom of my own someday. This week I continued to work with the students on their scales and had an experience with one student who I found out never practices, and he couldn't even pass off one scale at first. I worked with him a little bit, and he passed off 5 of 12 scales, and then I made a plan with him for how he would pass off the other scales. Then when I went back Thursday he was really excited to tell me that he had practiced and was ready to pass off more of the scales. It was really rewarding to know that he was excited to progress and learn.
This week I had the opportunity to go with the Cedar Middle School band to perform at the capitol. I was a chaperone, and they had me in charge on one of the bus's along with a couple parents. About twenty minutes into the long drive up to Salt Lake one of the kids got car sick and ended up throwing up all over himself, and the whole area around him... One of the other mom's and I were the lucky candidates to clean that up but instead of being mad or annoyed I found myself just sympathizing with this poor boy who was feeling sick, and covered in his own vomit, who was then going to miss out on the opportunity of the day (His mom came and picked him up), and I just feared that the other students might tease him. It was a real learning experience doing my best to help him feel better about the situation as well as trying my best to clean up the situation there.
Apart from that I had an amazing day with the middle school students! They performed at the capitol and had an amazing time and I even got the opportunity to help conduct a couple of the pieces. I was nervous at first going up to conduct in front of so many people but I relaxed as I looked at the faces of the students and was able to find myself in the music and conducting them through our pieces. This was the highlight of my music educating career to date!
This week was concert time for the middle school. So apart from going to the middle school when I usually do on Tuesday and Thursday mornings I also went to participate and support the students with their concerts Thursday evening. Thursday just so happened to be my busiest day last week, and I had a lot of homework I needed to get done along with a lab assignment I had planned to do with someone from one of my classes. I was just going to put off the second concert and do my homework but I realized when I was there that it would be more important for me to stay and help as well as support the students. So I pushed everything back and helped out at the concert and even though later that night I was up extremely late trying to get everything done, I know I made the right choice. The students were super excited I was there and I was able to help out the conductors with a lot of pre-concert and post-concert things. I learned a lesson in the importance of serving not just when it's convenient for you but when you are needed.
Well as I continue at the Middle School I enjoy it more and more each day. This past Thursday though I had a new experience. We divided for sectionals and I was put in charge of one group of the percussion class. The kids are all really great but they tend to lack respect for the teacher on occasion by continuing to make noise and practice when they shouldn't be. So it was frustrating for me to go with this group because they were all just pounding on their instruments and not paying any attention to what I was saying. I had to make them completely stop what they were doing and reign in the misbehavior. I felt pretty uncomfortable doing so, but I knew it needed to be done. I made it clear that there is a time for playing, and a time for learning and that they needed to respect whoever was in charge whether it be me, the teacher or their class president. Afterwards Mr. Lee told me I had done the right thing in stopping and addressing the problem and he even told me that I can be more harsh with them by threatening to take away citizenship points. I'm glad it didn't have to come to that though, because when we had sectionals again they were all much more well behaved for me. I learned that some students will really walk all over you until they realize that you really do mean business so it's important to establish that control and stick to it.
Well this week has been another fun week at the Middle School! I got to help out the students more with sectionals and individually. I have loved getting on a more personal level with the students the more I go so I can talk with them, and help them with the different projects and songs they are working on. Thursday I worked in sectionals with the 1st clarinetists of the Symphonic Band and it was a lot of fun for me teaching them the high notes they need to learn for their new piece. Honestly I'm just so glad I get the chance to go and work at the middle school. It is preparing me so much for my future as a band director and I love every minute.
I was able to really help out this week with the Symphonic Band at Cedar Middle School. I helped with the clarinet section on some really difficult parts they are learning in a song. It is always fun interacting with the students on a more personal basis and helping them grow in their love for music. I was able to help them simplify and understand better the parts they were learning and to see them finally able to achieve something that was so difficult for them previously is really rewarding. I can see that they trust me and the advice and teachings I give them and it really validates me as a future (and present!) educator.
This week I had the opportunity to work again with scale pass offs with the middle school percussion group. This time two octave scales. Last time there was a girl who I had to spend a lot of time helping so that she was doing her scales correctly and understanding what she was doing. This time she breezed through her scales! I loved seeing that improvement in just a few weeks! She had taken my advice and flown with it. I now was able to teach her a few new tricks with a couple different problems she had developed. Teaching is so rewarding and I know I'm in the right field!
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