There’s this point in the year when you start your lesson planning from the last day of the year backwards. There is a mixture of feelings that come when you are leading up to that last class. There’s excitement looking forward to end of the year lessons but then there’s also an inevitable crunch when you realize how little time you have left to wrap things up.
The added layer is that there is a level of craziness from the kids that makes these classes sometimes a little rowdier and less productive, which throws another wrench into the end of the year teaching. I’ve joked that we should tell the kids that school is out in July and surprise them by letting them out early in an attempt to delay their end of the year squirrelyness.
Students express end of the year excitement in different ways. Right now, I can’t get my 3rd graders to stop vibrating. I’m not joking. They are having a hard time settling down and they are very distractible. However, they are still into getting work done and have a good level of buy-in.
My 5th graders are checking out a little more. They don’t want to work as much as my 3rd graders but they are still doing some good work. Their issue is a level reversion, especially by the boys. There is a lot of discussion about the transition into the 6th grade in the end of 5th grade. Many girls seem to respond to this looming transition by wanting to act more mature, while a lot of the boys respond to their feelings of insecurity of being an older student by acting more immature. My 5th graders are much more of mixed bag.
The 6th graders are doing a nice job of maintaining right now. Part of this is that they have their big performance and presentation is next week so they have still have concrete and consequential work to do. My 5th graders’ big presentation was in early May. Also, the 6th graders don’t have a major transition to think about moving into 7th grade. They just go down the hall to a new locker bay.
Then there are my 8th graders. I don’t know what the term is for the 8th grade version of seniorities, but it’s definitely a thing. Even though they are performing a song for their 8th Grade Tribute (our version of 8th grade graduation), they started mentally checking out weeks ago. Right after out concert in mid-May, they walked into class expecting to do nothing. Despite all of their whining and complaining, they have been having some good music classes and I’m really looking forward to their upcoming performance. However the effort it has taken to get them into the right mindset and navigating the layers of teenage attitude has been exhausting. One of the things that it's important to remember at this age isn’t to judge their opinions and thoughts on what they say. Instead its important to focus on their actions. Right now their actions are demonstrating a good level of work and commitment.
We can’t forget the teachers. You would think that the teachers are starting to mail things in but they really aren’t. Two of my fellow teachers who are retiring are not letting up at all. They are driving hard all the way to the end and when I’m feeling at all like letting some things go their dedication is inspiring. No one would blame them for skating a little bit towards the end of their career but they continue to keep at it and that dedication is one of the many reasons I’m going to miss them so much next year and beyond.
There’s two weeks, lots of grades and comments to complete and the end of the year rituals.
Here we go, time to finish strong.
Friday, May 29, 2015
Monday, May 25, 2015
Parenthood: Week 102 – The Things They Don’t Remember
“Don’t worry, it’s not like they will remember this when they are an adult.”
This is what we tell ourselves when something goes wrong and we feel guilt and regret about something that has occurred with our child. Most of what we do with babies and toddlers they don’t actually remember as adults. It’s important to remember this as we try our best as parents and inevitably make mistakes. Don’t freak out about small things not going as planned with your kid, because chances are at the time they don’t realize something is awry and they probably will not remember that moment.
This same idea is also used to justify not doing things for our kids. Why bother take a kid to Disneyland when they will not remember it? Why take them on a trip when they will have no memory of this experience? Save the money for a time later when they will actually be able to hold onto these memories in a meaningful way. Sometimes it’s important that we remind ourselves to not go overboard with a birthday party or a trip when your kids are young. Remembering the fact that they will have little memory of an event gets us to relax a little bit and be more present in the moment.
Do experiences in our lives only have value is they are remembered? That’s a pretty depressing thought when you think about it because most of the moments in our lives are not committed to memory permanently. I reject this notion that we place value on the moments in our lives based on our memories. Often experiences that leave lasting memories are significant in our lives but there’s a lot of moments that we don’t remember that have significant impact on who we are as human beings.
I don’t remember the first time my dad held me as a newborn and I don’t think Ollie will remember the first time I held him. However this is one of the most important moments in my own life and Ollie’s life. That moment, the devotion of a dad being there, present with love and care is not something to be taken for granted. It is in that moment a connection was formed that grew and sustains my relationship with my father and my son.
Part of what we need to consider is that we do for our children for ourselves at the same time. Every times we go above and beyond, push a little harder to make a moment special for our children, we are giving of ourselves. Every single time we show care in this way, we are placing an importance on our children that makes them more significant in our thoughts and in our hearts.
I’m sure Ollie will not remember this birthday party that we put on for him earlier today. But through the pictures, he will know that it happened. More importantly today he felt what it meant to be loved by being surrounded by people who hold him in their hearts. It is this feeling that will sustain him and carry him through difficult moments in his life in a way that he will never be able to articulate, because it’s not a memory. It’s something deeper that is woven into his being. It is something that he will know, but can’t remember, a feeling that is stronger than a moment and an emotion that is more powerful than a thought.
This is what we tell ourselves when something goes wrong and we feel guilt and regret about something that has occurred with our child. Most of what we do with babies and toddlers they don’t actually remember as adults. It’s important to remember this as we try our best as parents and inevitably make mistakes. Don’t freak out about small things not going as planned with your kid, because chances are at the time they don’t realize something is awry and they probably will not remember that moment.
This same idea is also used to justify not doing things for our kids. Why bother take a kid to Disneyland when they will not remember it? Why take them on a trip when they will have no memory of this experience? Save the money for a time later when they will actually be able to hold onto these memories in a meaningful way. Sometimes it’s important that we remind ourselves to not go overboard with a birthday party or a trip when your kids are young. Remembering the fact that they will have little memory of an event gets us to relax a little bit and be more present in the moment.
Do experiences in our lives only have value is they are remembered? That’s a pretty depressing thought when you think about it because most of the moments in our lives are not committed to memory permanently. I reject this notion that we place value on the moments in our lives based on our memories. Often experiences that leave lasting memories are significant in our lives but there’s a lot of moments that we don’t remember that have significant impact on who we are as human beings.
I don’t remember the first time my dad held me as a newborn and I don’t think Ollie will remember the first time I held him. However this is one of the most important moments in my own life and Ollie’s life. That moment, the devotion of a dad being there, present with love and care is not something to be taken for granted. It is in that moment a connection was formed that grew and sustains my relationship with my father and my son.
Part of what we need to consider is that we do for our children for ourselves at the same time. Every times we go above and beyond, push a little harder to make a moment special for our children, we are giving of ourselves. Every single time we show care in this way, we are placing an importance on our children that makes them more significant in our thoughts and in our hearts.
I’m sure Ollie will not remember this birthday party that we put on for him earlier today. But through the pictures, he will know that it happened. More importantly today he felt what it meant to be loved by being surrounded by people who hold him in their hearts. It is this feeling that will sustain him and carry him through difficult moments in his life in a way that he will never be able to articulate, because it’s not a memory. It’s something deeper that is woven into his being. It is something that he will know, but can’t remember, a feeling that is stronger than a moment and an emotion that is more powerful than a thought.
Friday, May 22, 2015
Year 5: Week 35 - The Class After The Performance
How do we end the year?
Many music teachers feel their job is done after the final performance. I once observed a teacher who had her students literally watch movies for a solid three weeks because the performance was done. This is a ludicrous and self-defeating way to teach.
One of the reasons our job as music teachers at my school is so challenging is because we insist on not only having our students put on great performance that reflect high levels of musicianship but also because we are committed to having meaning and significance in the process of preparing for performances.
We all understand that a meaningful process brings significance to a performances and it is often in the preparation that our students experience their most important musical memories at our school, not the performances.
If the time after a performance is not spent doing meaningful work in music class, than it is communicating to our students "since we don't have any more performances, we have nothing to do in class." This goes contrary to our process-orientated philosophy indirectly elevating the performance.
Yes, we need to give our kids and ourselves mental breaks after performances. But beyond a class or two to relax, it is important that we take full advantage of the time we have left in the school year. This is prime time for students to reflect on the year, do important assessments, to revisit favorite activities and songs, and do the lessons that or so often hindered by preparing by performances.
We want our students' last memory of music this year to be of creative, joyous, and focused music making. Creating this memory will help our students have a better transition in the beginning of music class next fall. For example if a class of 3rd graders ends the year watching a week of DVDs that have no curricular significance, than how can we expect them to walk into 4th grade music in the fall ready to work?
Even if you don’t go along with my school’s philosophy of music education and have a stronger focus on the performance, you must recognize that any time wasted even at the end of the school year is a wasted opportunity to lay ground work for future great work.
I reject the notion that class is less significant after a performance is done. Yes, because of the reality of the tension between process and performances expectations, it often feels that preparing for the performance is critical class time and post-performance classes are more relaxed. Regardless, we should always strive to make every minute of class, regardless of where it lies in the school year, as meaningful as we can for our students.
Many music teachers feel their job is done after the final performance. I once observed a teacher who had her students literally watch movies for a solid three weeks because the performance was done. This is a ludicrous and self-defeating way to teach.
One of the reasons our job as music teachers at my school is so challenging is because we insist on not only having our students put on great performance that reflect high levels of musicianship but also because we are committed to having meaning and significance in the process of preparing for performances.
We all understand that a meaningful process brings significance to a performances and it is often in the preparation that our students experience their most important musical memories at our school, not the performances.
If the time after a performance is not spent doing meaningful work in music class, than it is communicating to our students "since we don't have any more performances, we have nothing to do in class." This goes contrary to our process-orientated philosophy indirectly elevating the performance.
Yes, we need to give our kids and ourselves mental breaks after performances. But beyond a class or two to relax, it is important that we take full advantage of the time we have left in the school year. This is prime time for students to reflect on the year, do important assessments, to revisit favorite activities and songs, and do the lessons that or so often hindered by preparing by performances.
We want our students' last memory of music this year to be of creative, joyous, and focused music making. Creating this memory will help our students have a better transition in the beginning of music class next fall. For example if a class of 3rd graders ends the year watching a week of DVDs that have no curricular significance, than how can we expect them to walk into 4th grade music in the fall ready to work?
Even if you don’t go along with my school’s philosophy of music education and have a stronger focus on the performance, you must recognize that any time wasted even at the end of the school year is a wasted opportunity to lay ground work for future great work.
I reject the notion that class is less significant after a performance is done. Yes, because of the reality of the tension between process and performances expectations, it often feels that preparing for the performance is critical class time and post-performance classes are more relaxed. Regardless, we should always strive to make every minute of class, regardless of where it lies in the school year, as meaningful as we can for our students.
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Monday, May 18, 2015
Parenthood: Week 101 – Daddy Bear
“No.”
I didn’t like the way that boy was talking to Ollie and I wasn’t going to let him get away with his nonsense.
We were in a local play space last weekend. For those of you who aren’t parents, a play space is a big indoor playground. You pay a fee and you can let your kid run around. It’s great for rainy days and to give your kid the opportunity to play with different toys. Also it help keep parents sane by having a place that they can visit and keep their kids entertained.
When we come to a play space or a park, Diana and I take turns watching Ollie and most of the time we do this from the distance. So I didn’t really see the beginning of the interaction Ollie was having with that kid, but what I did see was a boy at least 5 years of age take a play piece of fruit out of Ollie hands and then immediately take another piece of fruit from the net that Ollie was carrying around play food in (for some reason Ollie was having a blast carrying around play fruit in a net, welcome to toddler logic).
I quickly walked across the large room and looked down at the 5 year old.
A couple things to note: There was tons of play food around on multiple shelves. So it wasn’t asking this kid a lot to share. He clearly had no intention of playing nice with Ollie and with the way he had taken the play food out of Ollie’s hand had never been taught how to deal with younger children.
If Ollie was being grabby, which he can be at times, I would have stopped him and also if this was a kid Ollie’s age, I would have been more likely to let it play out and see what happened. But this was different it was a kid who was much older than Ollie, and he should have known better.
There’s this feeling that wells up inside of you when you see someone doing wrong by your child. We have to be careful to temper these feelings with rationality, but it’s hard. Sometimes you don’t have time to think it through. Because when it’s your kid, you don’t have a choice, you have to act.
If this boy’s father hadn’t been across the room buried in his laptop and saw the way I talked to his son, he may not have been happy about it. Like that would be a surprise, his kid is a jerk, where do you think he learned that from?
I'm a teacher, I love kids and I understand kids. But in that moment, I hated that kid. Later when I saw him in a cozy coupe, I was imagining him getting involved in a massive flaming 5-cozy coupe pile-up, with him on the bottom as Barber's "Adagio For String" played in the background.
Yeah, being a dad brings out a little crazy sometimes. I'm not going to deny that fact. Even though we need to keep the crazy at bay, it's all part of parenthood and even more reason not to mess with my boy.
I didn’t like the way that boy was talking to Ollie and I wasn’t going to let him get away with his nonsense.
We were in a local play space last weekend. For those of you who aren’t parents, a play space is a big indoor playground. You pay a fee and you can let your kid run around. It’s great for rainy days and to give your kid the opportunity to play with different toys. Also it help keep parents sane by having a place that they can visit and keep their kids entertained.
When we come to a play space or a park, Diana and I take turns watching Ollie and most of the time we do this from the distance. So I didn’t really see the beginning of the interaction Ollie was having with that kid, but what I did see was a boy at least 5 years of age take a play piece of fruit out of Ollie hands and then immediately take another piece of fruit from the net that Ollie was carrying around play food in (for some reason Ollie was having a blast carrying around play fruit in a net, welcome to toddler logic).
I quickly walked across the large room and looked down at the 5 year old.
“No.”
“But these are my special fruit.”
“No, they are not.”
“I need all of them.”
“No, you do not.”
“He is taking them from me.”
“No, he did not.”
“I’m going to put them all on a high shelf so the baby cannot get them.”
“No, you will not.”At this point I had full teacher look on. He started trying to take all of the play food and put it on the top shelf. I let him do this for a minute and then took it all down and placed it back down. That’s when he said “no” to me, I turned and give him an even harsher teacher look and he backed away.
A couple things to note: There was tons of play food around on multiple shelves. So it wasn’t asking this kid a lot to share. He clearly had no intention of playing nice with Ollie and with the way he had taken the play food out of Ollie’s hand had never been taught how to deal with younger children.
If Ollie was being grabby, which he can be at times, I would have stopped him and also if this was a kid Ollie’s age, I would have been more likely to let it play out and see what happened. But this was different it was a kid who was much older than Ollie, and he should have known better.
There’s this feeling that wells up inside of you when you see someone doing wrong by your child. We have to be careful to temper these feelings with rationality, but it’s hard. Sometimes you don’t have time to think it through. Because when it’s your kid, you don’t have a choice, you have to act.
If this boy’s father hadn’t been across the room buried in his laptop and saw the way I talked to his son, he may not have been happy about it. Like that would be a surprise, his kid is a jerk, where do you think he learned that from?
I'm a teacher, I love kids and I understand kids. But in that moment, I hated that kid. Later when I saw him in a cozy coupe, I was imagining him getting involved in a massive flaming 5-cozy coupe pile-up, with him on the bottom as Barber's "Adagio For String" played in the background.
Yeah, being a dad brings out a little crazy sometimes. I'm not going to deny that fact. Even though we need to keep the crazy at bay, it's all part of parenthood and even more reason not to mess with my boy.
Friday, May 15, 2015
Year 5: Week 34 – Bringing Joy Back
I’m not very good at being a stern teacher. I’ve observed teachers as a student and a professional who are good at motivating student through a stern and serious tone. Over the years, I’ve gotten better with my “teacher face” and once in a while I can turn it on and get kids back in line. However this is more of a “get your butt in line”-move than a motivational tool.
What I am good at is creating a whirlwind of positive energy that makes students want to participate and contribute because of how much joy is being created through an activity. My students are much more receptive when I tell them how I’m excited about the potential of something and the few things that need to change for it be even better.
This seems like one of those “positive reinforcement is more effective” ideas, but it’s more than that. It’s not that simple and it is really hard to keep positive energy flowing, because you are not getting positive energy back.
When you first start working with a group of kids you are pumped up, you can jump around, redirect misbehavior quickly and keep moving without too many issues. But as the year goes on and you have to deal with more and more issues with students, sometimes you find yourself in a place when it seems like the only way to deal with a group of kids is to address the negativity you are getting from a few kids with a more stern tone.
This is very necessary at times and can easily become a default, because it makes sense. A kid is having a negative attitude, so you have a serious talk with that student about how they need to shape up and contribute to the class. Often this works, but sometimes having this direct of a conversation doesn’t gets you nowhere. In the same way as Gandhi said "An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind,” responding with negativity with a similar tone back to the student sometimes gets you nowhere.
It’s actually easier to snap at kids and lecture them with an angry tone than lead with positive energy. I had a not so good day on Monday and Tuesday with some of my classes and I was really stern and hard on my kids. It didn’t work. Then I realized that I’m not good at that and more importantly, I wasn’t having any fun.
I came in Wednesday, dug deep and was super energetic, engaging and positive and the kids who weren’t with me earlier in the week, got involved with the class because they wanted to be part of the positive energy in the room. After every class I taught I was exhausted, I felt like I had just run a race but it was a good kind of tired. And at the end of the class my students and I left the classroom smiling.
I find that I slide into moments when I forget that it's the joy of learning that best motivates my students, because there are times I'm worn out and I don't see my positivity reflected in my students. In those moments it's important to remember that just because they aren't showing it, it doesn't mean that students aren't getting it.
Dig deep y'all. The year is almost done. Bring your kids energy and joy. Have some fun. Yes, a lot of the kids are checking out, but stern lectures aren't going to get them on board as effectively as your smile.
What I am good at is creating a whirlwind of positive energy that makes students want to participate and contribute because of how much joy is being created through an activity. My students are much more receptive when I tell them how I’m excited about the potential of something and the few things that need to change for it be even better.
This seems like one of those “positive reinforcement is more effective” ideas, but it’s more than that. It’s not that simple and it is really hard to keep positive energy flowing, because you are not getting positive energy back.
When you first start working with a group of kids you are pumped up, you can jump around, redirect misbehavior quickly and keep moving without too many issues. But as the year goes on and you have to deal with more and more issues with students, sometimes you find yourself in a place when it seems like the only way to deal with a group of kids is to address the negativity you are getting from a few kids with a more stern tone.
This is very necessary at times and can easily become a default, because it makes sense. A kid is having a negative attitude, so you have a serious talk with that student about how they need to shape up and contribute to the class. Often this works, but sometimes having this direct of a conversation doesn’t gets you nowhere. In the same way as Gandhi said "An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind,” responding with negativity with a similar tone back to the student sometimes gets you nowhere.
It’s actually easier to snap at kids and lecture them with an angry tone than lead with positive energy. I had a not so good day on Monday and Tuesday with some of my classes and I was really stern and hard on my kids. It didn’t work. Then I realized that I’m not good at that and more importantly, I wasn’t having any fun.
I came in Wednesday, dug deep and was super energetic, engaging and positive and the kids who weren’t with me earlier in the week, got involved with the class because they wanted to be part of the positive energy in the room. After every class I taught I was exhausted, I felt like I had just run a race but it was a good kind of tired. And at the end of the class my students and I left the classroom smiling.
I find that I slide into moments when I forget that it's the joy of learning that best motivates my students, because there are times I'm worn out and I don't see my positivity reflected in my students. In those moments it's important to remember that just because they aren't showing it, it doesn't mean that students aren't getting it.
Dig deep y'all. The year is almost done. Bring your kids energy and joy. Have some fun. Yes, a lot of the kids are checking out, but stern lectures aren't going to get them on board as effectively as your smile.
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
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