Year 9: Week 6 - BORING?

I’ve been asked if my job ever gets boring, teaching the same grades every year. I usually explain that it’s different all the time. I talk about how teaching “Hot Cross Buns,” on the recorder to students is different and a challenge every year because each student is a unique human being. The different dynamics of the classroom community make every year a different challenge, and this is what makes each day of teaching exciting, challenging, and definitely not boring.

Another reason that my job isn’t boring is that my work as a teacher in this school is charged with the mission of responding to current events, and society as a whole. When David Bowie passed away, I taught my students about him, and when the film Selma came out, my 8th graders performed “Glory,” a song from the soundtrack. Part of my job is to help my students better understand the culture that surrounds them. While a lot of what I weave into my classroom is positive, and explicit reflections of events and people in pop culture (e.g. listening to Aretha Franklin sing, to understand her impact), more and more of what I’ve been weaving into my work reflects a need to address problems in our society that we can no longer ignore as teachers.

The events of the past two years have made it clear that our society needs education to specifically teach about anti-racism, social justice, anti-colonialism, how to be a productive and active citizen, and with recent events consent, and destructive expressions of masculinity. One of the factors that has led to the issues, and much of the strife in our country is flaws in our education system. In no way am I saying that this is the most important, or primary reason there are people who claim to be patriots but lack the basic mission of our constitution to ensure rights to citizens, is because of teachers, but it’s an important factor to consider. Keeping in mind that teachers are often hindered by out of date text books, and a lack of sufficient funding for professional development, and y’know…pencils.

I’ve heard music teachers say that they don’t teach about certain these kinds of topics because they are “music” teachers. When we think this way, we miss an opportunity to teach about these topics that music can help students understand. Every single thing we do, from how we sit students, assign instruments, and present music without thought communicates our own bias. However, keeping the topics in the previous paragraph in mind as essential makes the music classroom become a place where learning is relevant, important, and essential.

The fact that I can go to work responding to the darkness and negativity in the world, by teaching my students to embrace diversity, fight for equity, and work for inclusion nurtures my soul.

As President Obama said, “The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don't wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope.”

Making good in the world, and nurturing hope in myself and my students is never boring.