The well-traveled path
For a majority of teachers, we are approaching close to the halfway point of our Spring semester. Spring break is soon and yet so many things are still on the to-do list: recruitment events, concert evaluations, solo contests, you name it. It's easy to get caught up in the details that sometimes the path becomes unclear and we lose sight of the most important part of our job: the experiences of our students.
It can be easy for even the most patient and experienced teachers to become frustrated with how an individual or ensemble is progressing and feel waves of negativity. As I get further away from the age of my students, I have to remind myself more and more that I was not always able to see the light at the end of the tunnel either, and they need guidance even though the path may be well traveled.
Below are some reminders that I give myself often.
Students Are Not Lazy
I first heard this stated this way on a podcast that I was listening to. This was one of Michael Pote's assumptions from a philosophy he calls "Teaching from the Light" (I highly recommend you give it a listen when you have a chance). Now, if you are like me when I initially heard this statement, I wanted to point out two or three instances. As I have come to form a deeper bond with my students I have realized that not a single student would likely be sitting in front of me if they did not enjoy the experiences they are afforded and wanted to put forth efforts into it (especially with all of the other choices of activities they could be doing in and outside of the school day).
That being said... students are not always PATIENT. As our world is evolving into an instant gratification norm (remember when it was revolutionary that Amazon could get something to your house in 48 hours? Well now they can do it in 3 hours...), band might be the first time that a student has had to put an extended amount of time and effort into anything. I think along the same vein, the fact we can get everything in life faster leads us as their teacher into a mindset that things should happen faster.
The reality is: with some students it may only take two or three times for them to achieve an expectation, for others it may be the fifth, sixth, or even tenth time. I firmly believe that if we model patience and persistence in our growth as teachers, our students will follow suit.
Students Crave Structure
Whether they will admit it or not, everybody loves structure, knowing expectations, and even appropriate accountability. It is our job as their teacher to structure our learning environments in which students can be successful.
At some point, someone told me that "students will take as much time as you give them" which I have come to realize an absolute truth (provided the time given is realistic, of course). In my first year of teaching, I modeled the pass-off system based on what I had witnessed at the school where I had student taught. As long as everything was complete by two weeks before our state evaluation, you were in good standing as an ensemble member. It was with good intentions: I wanted students to not create bad habits by moving too quickly.
However, what I learned the hard way during that process was that what worked for one ensemble and community did not always transfer exactly to the next. I found myself spending my nights and weekends at the band hall nearly every day after Spring Break listening to every student. It was either do that or lower the standard of the ensemble and pass kids off just so there were fewer of them.
Without knowing, I had structured my classroom in a way that allowed them to "cram for the test". Since then, I’ve made drastic changes to how I set up the Spring to allow students to pace themselves better and in turn, better pacing for me to invest in them. I begin the semester by combing through every measure in sectionals and full band rehearsals to ensure that I have modeled how to practice and approach the trickier parts of our music. After about a month, I begin listenings with checkpoints along the way (you must have four of your top ten complete by this date, etc.). For students who are falling behind I am able to identify them quickly and give them the attention they need to feel successful. Those who are the high achievers of the ensemble now have the incentive to see how far ahead they can get. It's a win-win-win!
Celebrate the Little Things
As mentioned above, students may not always be patient and will need encouragement from time to time. After all, what gets rewarded, gets repeated! My professor in college called it "catching them being good" and I always loved the way they put it.
Even the students that you have to correct and redirect the most deserve to be celebrated from time to time. Even if it is the only time in the entire class period that they are sitting correctly or making eye contact with you, show them that you appreciate their efforts! Others will take notice and want to be praised as well.
A student came up to me last week and asked if I would be willing to start highlighting a section or student I thought did well that day at the end of rehearsal. I said, "of course!" and now wonder why I had not thought of this myself. A previous drum major of ours had been so great about this after every marching band rehearsal and yet I had neglected to carry on this tradition into the Spring. I am very excited to see where this leads in the coming weeks!
I challenge you to tell that student how much you appreciated them being on time today. Send an email to a parent about how much improvement you have seen in their child's progress. It makes world of difference in the culture of the ensemble.
I apologize for my lack of reflection in the last few weeks, between the wild schedule of February and my own insistence on sharing nothing but genuine feelings and experiences I did not feel that anything I was writing at the time was worth sharing. After receiving appreciation and encouragement from someone that I highly respect recently, I was reminded that we are only worth what we give away and knew it was time to share more.
I hope regardless of where you and your students are on your path that it is filled with the joys of growth, reflection, and gratitude for one another!
Yours in service,
Matt