What has been the development of your interest in teaching?
I decided that I wanted to become a teacher when I was a junior in high school. I was helping my band directors at a middle school band competition and I asked one of them why they decided to teach band. He told me that each day was a new challenge and that every year brought new kids with different abilities and obstacles. It really spoke to me and what I was looking for in a career. I could have become an engineer or a programmer, both of which offer the ability to face new challenges every day. In fact, I started school as a double major in music education and cyber security. However, being a programmer or engineer would not have the impact on future generations that being a teacher does. No other profession has the ability to influence our youth in such a profound manner. To have the ability to change the course of a student’s life just by supporting them and teaching them to work through the obstacles in their lives is a huge responsibility that I take on happily.
How have you integrated technology and/or other tools into your classroom to create more personalized learning experiences for students?
iRealPro is a backing track app that I have used to make some of the beginner music seem more like “real” music. It allows students to experience different styles of music without giving them work that is out of their reach. I also like iRealPro as an accompaniment for scales and scale patterns in the warm up. Allowing students to choose their own accompaniment is a great way to allow them to tailor their experience without taking away from the learning objective.
I have also used online tools such as FlipGrid to allow students to record themselves and submit for assessment. This removes the process of having to email or find a recording format that is compatible with their email service. I like for students to record themselves when they play since it is an objective record of what occurred. I can then ask them questions that lead them to their own conclusions on how they can improve.
Do you have experience with working at a Title I school?
I currently teach in a Title I school district. Students in this environment are often out to prove themselves and band is a great way to do just that. We do our best to ensure that money is not an issue for these students since financial situations should never be an obstacle when it comes to band. Working in a Title I school has been a great experience for me. I expect nothing less than their best in everything they do.
What is your classroom management plan?
I believe that establishing a classroom culture is important when beginning the year. Day one should be all about setting the students up for success by introducing them to the daily routine. After establishing the routine, daily reinforcement is key. Should there be a day that the directors are not in the classroom, a copy of the daily routine shall be left for the substitute so that our daily repetition is not lost.
Class rules should be introduced one rule per day. With everything that students are bombarded with during the first week of school, it is hard for them to remember all the rules in one day. Spacing out the delivery of the rules allows for students to remember them for the long-term. Class rules should also have a purpose. When rules do not have a reason that can be clearly articulated to a student when asked, students will be less likely to follow those rules.
I do not believe in sending a student to the office for behavior issues. Nearly all issues should be settled in the classroom or else you run the risk of losing your authority with the students. For that reason, I would ask for permission from the administration to assign an after-school detention as a punishment in my classroom. Detention would entail sitting at a desk that is facing the wall for exactly thirty minutes and not giving the student the ability to do anything except face that wall. I do not believe that punishment should allow time for the student to accomplish work or to help the teacher. Such actions could develop a pattern of misbehavior that is rewarded with time to work or time to be helpful to the teacher.