Journal #5 of Student Teaching
Week 5, Feb. 13-17
Professionalism
The level of professionalism my cooperating teacher must exude on a day-to-day basis is staggering. This encompasses maintaining a rapport with other teachers, faculty, parents, among many others, including faculty of surrounding schools and VMEA. Another factor kept in mind is the appearance and overall safety of her choir room. Finally, Lois has taken “en loco parentis” very seriously as I have seen her take notice of students who are in need and will do what is within her power (and legal limits) to make sure the student is taken care of.
Periodically throughout the day, Lois is in contact with someone for the sake of the music program or her students. While it appears seamless, Lois admits that she maintains a rapport with these people, keeping a stream of e-mails to keep parents informed of events and changes. This constant stream is maintained consistently and is never neglected; otherwise, she would have significantly less help than she has from parents and faculty. For example, more than a month in advance, parents were made aware of the choir’s need for chauffeurs during the evening for Singing Valentines. In the end, we had more than enough parents willing to drive students to locations around town to deliver for their most lucrative fundraiser of the year.
As far as the appearance of the room, when money is given to her, it is never kept out in the open. Money goes straight to a consolidated place; say an enveloped, labeled what the money goes to, with the forms in a manila envelope as well. At the end of the day, the envelope goes into a safe, so that no money is ever “lying around.” Also, after a class leaves, the chairs are set-up specifically to each individual class. This small act is more important to the students, as it invites the students, showing them that their teacher welcomes them to her classroom. Recently, a student lost her binder. It was found that one of the cubbies holding music had nails facing outward. Immediately, Lois called the teacher for the Shop Class, asking that he send students to fix this. Within the half hour she called, students were sent and fixed the hazard.
As the en loco parentis, Lois has taken it upon herself to facilitate her students’ transportation, ever since she noticed this student walking home from a winter performance. While she does not give him rides, she has been in contact with his guardian or will arrange for someone to give him a ride. In the same rite, a student came to her class with his glasses held together (badly) by tape. She asked him how long his glasses had been broken and he replied “a year”, which led to her telling the school guidance counselor.
Discussion of article: Preparing to Teach in Today’s Schools, Sec. 1
Most of the preliminary steps expected to be taken in the article were followed; Lois has given me a desk in her office, and showed me the important places (and introduced me to the necessary people) that I will need to know about in the high school as well as the attached middle school. She also gave me a copy of her syllabus (for the Radford High School and Dalton Intermediate Middle School) and an overview of the choral curriculum, specific to each class, complete with SOL objectives (with codes determining what will be performed and what will be investigated.) As mentioned in the article, I am expected to be flexible; I have stayed after school every day that she has expected me to, to help students go over music for District festivals. As for discussing my lesson plans, sometimes she will allow me to perform the lesson plan and then discuss what could have been done better afterwards, or we will talk about what can be done better beforehand. She has shown me how to use her grading software and leaves me responsible for logging in students’ grades keeping me in charge of tutoring the middle school students the music symbols; we gage who is in need of this tutoring by the first grade they receive, then allowing them a few days to study and retake the test. In some cases, those who do not do well the second time will be met with one-on-one to discuss what they are having trouble with and then have the opportunity, once more, to take the test again.
While I’m teaching, on occasion, I may be stopped by Lois and be told, directly, how I could do something more effectively. She keeps her students very aware that I am there to learn from her, as she allows me to retry, say, a queue, or suggests how to rephrase an instruction that may have had “too much information in one command.” She allows me, however, to maintain my own individuality and teaching style that I am developing and encourages that growth. Sometimes, after I have done the lesson, she will tell me what to focus on in the future and how I can make it better the next time. A tool that has been most helpful has been recordings of my lessons. She will tell me to look back at these recordings, and say “focus on how you delivered that queue and figure out why it was confusing to the students.” To improve on this, before I perform my lesson plan, I will write a small script, detailing how I will give a command that may be somewhat complex.
This past Friday, I had the opportunity to teach a lesson without my cooperating teacher in the room (she was out for the day.) This was very illuminating on what I need to work on including classroom management and making my commands clear and concise.
Feb.13-17 What worked? What didn’t?
This week has probably been the most trying in terms of teaching. Last week, most of our focus and energy was given to the upcoming High School District Festival as well as the Singing Valentine Fundraiser, specifically for her Concert Choir. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise to me that when the teacher’s energies were focused elsewhere, as does the students’ focus as well.
So when I originally had been under the impression that the auditioned Concert Choir was the most behaved, focused and musical, I saw just how on the contrary this perception was when they saw an opportunity to act up. My classroom management was put to the test this past Friday (Feb. 17) when Lois was gone for the day. She was aware of this, and therefore made sure the substitute would still be there, acting as “ring leader” while I continued with my lesson plan. As a choir teacher, it seems unfitting to yell for students to quiet down; however, my go-to freezing-until-they-realize-I’m-waiting-for-silence is sometimes just as unsatisfactory. I discussed with the substitute how she maintains control of a classroom so well; her explanation can be summarized with two words: body language. And it’s been said to me (by Lois) how tense I appear when I begin to lose confidence.
Musically, I feel my most successful lesson plan was with the 11 girl Treble Choir. My aim was for them to sing out so that I could hear their mistakes better (the idea being, if you’re going to make a mistake, do it with confidence!) They already seemed to enjoy the song “Ae Fond Kiss”, so I had them speak the text dramatically with one arm out-stretched (as if delivering a Shakespearian monologue.) Of course, I had to exaggeratedly animate myself in order for them to continue to keep up the confidence of the exercise. I made the connection that the more animated (and coincidentally, the more animated I become, the more confident I felt), the more the girls sang with feeling and confidence. My goal for next week is to create a warm-up that will divide the girls into two groups which will have them sing differing rhythms as they constantly try to sing their piece with the exact same rhythm as the melody, even if that is the wrong rhythm to their part.
With the 50 student Chorale I was wanting to hatch out the dotted rhythm which reoccurs constantly in their piece “Ye Banks and Braes.” I had them hold the music in one hand and parch (on a leg) the rhythm when their voice part sang the dotted rhythm. While the idea was sound, it was simply too chaotic for it to be effective what with 1)holding the music 2)singing 3)patching 4)hearing other differing voice parts patch correctly 5)having ANY voice part patch incorrectly (some intentionally). I think next time I may simply have them sing on one part and having them sing on a neutral syllable.
Professionalism
The level of professionalism my cooperating teacher must exude on a day-to-day basis is staggering. This encompasses maintaining a rapport with other teachers, faculty, parents, among many others, including faculty of surrounding schools and VMEA. Another factor kept in mind is the appearance and overall safety of her choir room. Finally, Lois has taken “en loco parentis” very seriously as I have seen her take notice of students who are in need and will do what is within her power (and legal limits) to make sure the student is taken care of.
Periodically throughout the day, Lois is in contact with someone for the sake of the music program or her students. While it appears seamless, Lois admits that she maintains a rapport with these people, keeping a stream of e-mails to keep parents informed of events and changes. This constant stream is maintained consistently and is never neglected; otherwise, she would have significantly less help than she has from parents and faculty. For example, more than a month in advance, parents were made aware of the choir’s need for chauffeurs during the evening for Singing Valentines. In the end, we had more than enough parents willing to drive students to locations around town to deliver for their most lucrative fundraiser of the year.
As far as the appearance of the room, when money is given to her, it is never kept out in the open. Money goes straight to a consolidated place; say an enveloped, labeled what the money goes to, with the forms in a manila envelope as well. At the end of the day, the envelope goes into a safe, so that no money is ever “lying around.” Also, after a class leaves, the chairs are set-up specifically to each individual class. This small act is more important to the students, as it invites the students, showing them that their teacher welcomes them to her classroom. Recently, a student lost her binder. It was found that one of the cubbies holding music had nails facing outward. Immediately, Lois called the teacher for the Shop Class, asking that he send students to fix this. Within the half hour she called, students were sent and fixed the hazard.
As the en loco parentis, Lois has taken it upon herself to facilitate her students’ transportation, ever since she noticed this student walking home from a winter performance. While she does not give him rides, she has been in contact with his guardian or will arrange for someone to give him a ride. In the same rite, a student came to her class with his glasses held together (badly) by tape. She asked him how long his glasses had been broken and he replied “a year”, which led to her telling the school guidance counselor.
Discussion of article: Preparing to Teach in Today’s Schools, Sec. 1
Most of the preliminary steps expected to be taken in the article were followed; Lois has given me a desk in her office, and showed me the important places (and introduced me to the necessary people) that I will need to know about in the high school as well as the attached middle school. She also gave me a copy of her syllabus (for the Radford High School and Dalton Intermediate Middle School) and an overview of the choral curriculum, specific to each class, complete with SOL objectives (with codes determining what will be performed and what will be investigated.) As mentioned in the article, I am expected to be flexible; I have stayed after school every day that she has expected me to, to help students go over music for District festivals. As for discussing my lesson plans, sometimes she will allow me to perform the lesson plan and then discuss what could have been done better afterwards, or we will talk about what can be done better beforehand. She has shown me how to use her grading software and leaves me responsible for logging in students’ grades keeping me in charge of tutoring the middle school students the music symbols; we gage who is in need of this tutoring by the first grade they receive, then allowing them a few days to study and retake the test. In some cases, those who do not do well the second time will be met with one-on-one to discuss what they are having trouble with and then have the opportunity, once more, to take the test again.
While I’m teaching, on occasion, I may be stopped by Lois and be told, directly, how I could do something more effectively. She keeps her students very aware that I am there to learn from her, as she allows me to retry, say, a queue, or suggests how to rephrase an instruction that may have had “too much information in one command.” She allows me, however, to maintain my own individuality and teaching style that I am developing and encourages that growth. Sometimes, after I have done the lesson, she will tell me what to focus on in the future and how I can make it better the next time. A tool that has been most helpful has been recordings of my lessons. She will tell me to look back at these recordings, and say “focus on how you delivered that queue and figure out why it was confusing to the students.” To improve on this, before I perform my lesson plan, I will write a small script, detailing how I will give a command that may be somewhat complex.
This past Friday, I had the opportunity to teach a lesson without my cooperating teacher in the room (she was out for the day.) This was very illuminating on what I need to work on including classroom management and making my commands clear and concise.
Feb.13-17 What worked? What didn’t?
This week has probably been the most trying in terms of teaching. Last week, most of our focus and energy was given to the upcoming High School District Festival as well as the Singing Valentine Fundraiser, specifically for her Concert Choir. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise to me that when the teacher’s energies were focused elsewhere, as does the students’ focus as well.
So when I originally had been under the impression that the auditioned Concert Choir was the most behaved, focused and musical, I saw just how on the contrary this perception was when they saw an opportunity to act up. My classroom management was put to the test this past Friday (Feb. 17) when Lois was gone for the day. She was aware of this, and therefore made sure the substitute would still be there, acting as “ring leader” while I continued with my lesson plan. As a choir teacher, it seems unfitting to yell for students to quiet down; however, my go-to freezing-until-they-realize-I’m-waiting-for-silence is sometimes just as unsatisfactory. I discussed with the substitute how she maintains control of a classroom so well; her explanation can be summarized with two words: body language. And it’s been said to me (by Lois) how tense I appear when I begin to lose confidence.
Musically, I feel my most successful lesson plan was with the 11 girl Treble Choir. My aim was for them to sing out so that I could hear their mistakes better (the idea being, if you’re going to make a mistake, do it with confidence!) They already seemed to enjoy the song “Ae Fond Kiss”, so I had them speak the text dramatically with one arm out-stretched (as if delivering a Shakespearian monologue.) Of course, I had to exaggeratedly animate myself in order for them to continue to keep up the confidence of the exercise. I made the connection that the more animated (and coincidentally, the more animated I become, the more confident I felt), the more the girls sang with feeling and confidence. My goal for next week is to create a warm-up that will divide the girls into two groups which will have them sing differing rhythms as they constantly try to sing their piece with the exact same rhythm as the melody, even if that is the wrong rhythm to their part.
With the 50 student Chorale I was wanting to hatch out the dotted rhythm which reoccurs constantly in their piece “Ye Banks and Braes.” I had them hold the music in one hand and parch (on a leg) the rhythm when their voice part sang the dotted rhythm. While the idea was sound, it was simply too chaotic for it to be effective what with 1)holding the music 2)singing 3)patching 4)hearing other differing voice parts patch correctly 5)having ANY voice part patch incorrectly (some intentionally). I think next time I may simply have them sing on one part and having them sing on a neutral syllable.