Technically, my summer vacation began on June 8.
Except that it didn't. Not really.
As soon as I finished checking out of both campuses I went straight to work on homework for my Kodaly Level 1 Certification course, because the very next morning I would be sitting in class as a student. There were 5 class days to go, and a great deal of work to be completed before we were through. But on June 13, we finally finished and my classmates and I were awarded our certifications. Hooray! So summer really started on June 14, right?
Not exactly. Yes and no. You see, in the whirlwind of May and the first half of June, my house became a disaster area, and my husband and I were leaving town for 5 days last week. I had 2 days to clean my house to an acceptable level to allow my mother-in-law (who is awesome) to check in on our cats. And make fathers day cards and buy presents for the fathers in our families. Thankfully, making the cards didn't take long, and neither did the shopping. It still didn't feel like vacation.
I mentioned that we left town for 5 days. We went to Ft. Worth to visit my amazing sister and her family, and to help watch her two lovely daughters in the afternoons while my sister went to teach a summer camp course at the local community college. My sister is mostly a stay at home mom, but she takes various gigs to her interests whenever she gets the chance. Except that means getting someone to watch the girls, and can possibly nullify any monetary gains if they actually hire someone to do it. Enter the family. :-) We don't charge to hang around and care for children...that are relatives. ;-) Also, my sister is an amazing cook, so I'd babysit just for the food, really... So on Father's Day we drove up to Ft. Worth, visited some old friends of mine on the way, and arrived at my sister's home. The nice thing about our little babysitting stint was that our responsibilities were limited to roughly the hours between noon-6pm. And our nieces are super awesome most of the time. I might be a bit biased on that front. I say most of the time because they are 3.5 years old (we'll just call her M) and 8 months old (we'll call her B). I learned that 3.5 year olds never admit to being sleepy, even when they are about to fall over, and that teething babies can be a bit fussy sometimes. Even with those minor drawbacks, I'd rate them as awesome 96% of the time. :-D For the remaining 4%, I am glad that my husband was with me and helped out when I couldn't be in two places at once. He wasn't totally hands-on all the time, but when I really needed that extra set of eyes or a distraction for a toddler, or someone to hold M's parasol on our walk, or when M needed a piggy back ride part of the way back from our walk one day...he was on it, and I am thankful. We had a truly wonderful time, and really enjoyed the time with our nieces, and in the evenings the time with my sister and brother-in-law, and our one evening we spent with my best friends from college who live in the area.
Did it feel like summer vacation? Yes and No. It did not feel like the summer vacations I am used to, but I think it probably did feel a bit like what summer vacation feels like to many parents. When I think of summer, right now I think about long days spent recharging myself in every way...getting rest, getting exercise, playing video games, getting projects done around the house or for the following school year, reading, being the domestic housewife that I am so NOT during the school year... Most importantly, being on my own schedule with very few appointments to keep.
But today, I finally feel it. My true summer days have arrived. Today is June 25.
I have one appointment today, for a clarinet lesson, and it isn't until 6:30pm. I am relieved. :-D
Monday, June 25, 2012
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Musings on Time
Today is more of a philosophical kind of day, and less of the practical and professional which I often discuss here.
You can always tell when things in your life are changing...because Time itself seems to bend in weird ways in your perception. One day it seems like there is all the time in the world for a task, and the next you feel hurried about it. It's the feeling of deadlines. With every deadline, we hit a turning point, where time goes from slow to fast in our own minds. If you slow down enough to breathe and notice - you can actually pinpoint it happening as it happens. At the exact moment when suddenly time leaps forward, you know that change is both inevitable and swiftly approaching. A good example that comes to mind is how I (and most teachers) feel about the end of the school year. One day it seems like summer will never come, and the next day you worry how you'll ever finish everything in the small amount of time left.
Does this alteration of time perception only happen with deadlines and tasks though? or can one feel change coming in a larger sense too? I think we can. Consider also the moments when the world seems to stand still. We know that the world and time are never still - but it is a feeling. Moments of rest...in music those moments are called cadences. I've always liked the term. Cadence literally means "to fall", but refer to where the music comes to a pleasing place to pause or stop entirely. There's more to it, of course, but that's the basic idea. The idea that you come to a place of rest on your (musical) journey by first going through periods of turbulence and unrest and "falling" into a comfortable place...I've always thought it spoke well for a larger truth in life too.
At any given moment, our perception of time alters. When considering the state of my life as a whole, I feel this slowness of time. Deep inside, I know that I'm being swept along in the current, that nothing is still - but I'm enjoying the temporary lack of obvious turbulence. However, the illusion of stillness sends off a little chime in my mind, letting me know that change is coming ahead. When considering the specifics of my life, nothing feels still at all. I feel like I'm navigating rapids. On any given day there are endless tasks to be cared for, and a thousand tiny deadlines screaming for my attention. I think, that if I have a goal right now, it would be to bring that "slow" feeling into my day to day routine, and feel the leisure to enjoy every hour of the day, rather than rushing through them.
I generally start getting these thoughts when at the beach too. When watching the waves, I am reminded that nothing remains the same from moment to moment. That change is the truest constant, and that waiting for everything to settle down is an exercise in futility. The time for action is now - the question is not "should I act now?" but "WHICH action should I take now?" because there are no guarantees that the future will bestow any perfect opportunities right in your lap.
Here I should mention that action doesn't mean constant busyness. I am constantly having to relearn this lesson. Focused intent and action does not mean remaining busy all the time. Overcommitment is often a major problem for me, and I know that I am not alone. We are all bound by one constraint: Time. No matter how we try, there are only 24 hours in the day. We can cram all sorts of things into it, but there are still only 24 hours in each day. So often we fail to ask if we SHOULD cram all sorts of things into a single day. With every passing year, I come to believe ever stronger that as a society (and definitely me personally) - that we are sacrificing quality experiences for a quantity of experiences.
There really is enough time, but in order to harness it we are going to have to slow down. We're going to need to work fewer hours and spend more time on whatever you really find inspiring. The things that inspire you the most are the most important. It's a compass that doesn't point you down the wrong path. Forget what anyone else thinks is important. If it isn't something that inspires you, then it isn't nearly as important...and for the things that are necessary but not inspiring, find a creative way around them if you can. I personally don't find laundry inspiring, but my husband is okay with doing the laundry if I take over other things that he can't stand. And while laundry doesn't directly inspire him either, it DOES give him time to write his book and still help around the house. Meanwhile, I manage to find some philosophical and psychological inspiration in organizing and cleaning other areas of the house, even if it isn't a lot, and even if I don't do those things nearly as often as I should.
It's easy to say that we need to work fewer hours in order to devote more time to the truly important things, it's much harder to put it into practice. More on that later...
You can always tell when things in your life are changing...because Time itself seems to bend in weird ways in your perception. One day it seems like there is all the time in the world for a task, and the next you feel hurried about it. It's the feeling of deadlines. With every deadline, we hit a turning point, where time goes from slow to fast in our own minds. If you slow down enough to breathe and notice - you can actually pinpoint it happening as it happens. At the exact moment when suddenly time leaps forward, you know that change is both inevitable and swiftly approaching. A good example that comes to mind is how I (and most teachers) feel about the end of the school year. One day it seems like summer will never come, and the next day you worry how you'll ever finish everything in the small amount of time left.
Does this alteration of time perception only happen with deadlines and tasks though? or can one feel change coming in a larger sense too? I think we can. Consider also the moments when the world seems to stand still. We know that the world and time are never still - but it is a feeling. Moments of rest...in music those moments are called cadences. I've always liked the term. Cadence literally means "to fall", but refer to where the music comes to a pleasing place to pause or stop entirely. There's more to it, of course, but that's the basic idea. The idea that you come to a place of rest on your (musical) journey by first going through periods of turbulence and unrest and "falling" into a comfortable place...I've always thought it spoke well for a larger truth in life too.
At any given moment, our perception of time alters. When considering the state of my life as a whole, I feel this slowness of time. Deep inside, I know that I'm being swept along in the current, that nothing is still - but I'm enjoying the temporary lack of obvious turbulence. However, the illusion of stillness sends off a little chime in my mind, letting me know that change is coming ahead. When considering the specifics of my life, nothing feels still at all. I feel like I'm navigating rapids. On any given day there are endless tasks to be cared for, and a thousand tiny deadlines screaming for my attention. I think, that if I have a goal right now, it would be to bring that "slow" feeling into my day to day routine, and feel the leisure to enjoy every hour of the day, rather than rushing through them.
I generally start getting these thoughts when at the beach too. When watching the waves, I am reminded that nothing remains the same from moment to moment. That change is the truest constant, and that waiting for everything to settle down is an exercise in futility. The time for action is now - the question is not "should I act now?" but "WHICH action should I take now?" because there are no guarantees that the future will bestow any perfect opportunities right in your lap.
Here I should mention that action doesn't mean constant busyness. I am constantly having to relearn this lesson. Focused intent and action does not mean remaining busy all the time. Overcommitment is often a major problem for me, and I know that I am not alone. We are all bound by one constraint: Time. No matter how we try, there are only 24 hours in the day. We can cram all sorts of things into it, but there are still only 24 hours in each day. So often we fail to ask if we SHOULD cram all sorts of things into a single day. With every passing year, I come to believe ever stronger that as a society (and definitely me personally) - that we are sacrificing quality experiences for a quantity of experiences.
There really is enough time, but in order to harness it we are going to have to slow down. We're going to need to work fewer hours and spend more time on whatever you really find inspiring. The things that inspire you the most are the most important. It's a compass that doesn't point you down the wrong path. Forget what anyone else thinks is important. If it isn't something that inspires you, then it isn't nearly as important...and for the things that are necessary but not inspiring, find a creative way around them if you can. I personally don't find laundry inspiring, but my husband is okay with doing the laundry if I take over other things that he can't stand. And while laundry doesn't directly inspire him either, it DOES give him time to write his book and still help around the house. Meanwhile, I manage to find some philosophical and psychological inspiration in organizing and cleaning other areas of the house, even if it isn't a lot, and even if I don't do those things nearly as often as I should.
It's easy to say that we need to work fewer hours in order to devote more time to the truly important things, it's much harder to put it into practice. More on that later...
Monday, April 23, 2012
Arcade Inspiration for Motivation!
As the school year races to a close (about 6 weeks left!), I always try to have some sort of contest going to keep my students motivated to work in music class. Last year I had a list of songs I challenged them to learn (memorized!) before the end of the year. This year is a bit more complicated, and I have different classes doing many different things, so I came up with something else...and I must say, I really love this year's idea so much that I may keep it for several years.
Music class has taken a cue from the old school arcade: each student, and the class as a whole, can earn points towards rewards that will be given during the final music lesson for each class. Anyone that's every played Skee-ball (or any other ticket bestowing arcade game) for hours in pursuit of tickets to spend at a prize booth will understand the basis of how this works.
Earning Points
Each activity in the lesson is worth a set number of points. If the class completes it successfully (excellent participation, no whining, etc), then they get the points for that activity. Most activities are worth about 10 points, but more complicated or time consuming tasks are sometimes worth more (15-20), and activities that are completely a review are sometimes worth only 5 points. I love the versatility of this - each class can participate in the contest and be doing totally different things suited to their grade level.
Every solo sung correctly is worth 5 points. The students really love this one because the solos are often short. We use echo songs, and a student has to lead the song instead of me. This is a total win, because I get to hear (and easily keep track of) each student who leads the class and determine where they really are with their singing level, and they often earn a ridiculously high number of points for the day. I do have a set number of volunteers I take for the day though - otherwise they would do this for the whole lesson. Since I have it noted down who sang solos the week before (and the week before that, etc), it isn't too hard for me to get to students I would rarely hear otherwise. So far I've only taken volunteers, and I've had students volunteer to sing solos who have never asked to do this before. But you really do have to be particular about only awarding points for solos sung EXACTLY right. If the solo part is supposed to be on the pitches "So-Mi-Mi-So-Mi" and the student sings the right words but on the pitches "So-Mi-La-So-Mi"...then it isn't right, even if they sing in the right key and with a lovely vocal quality. It pays to be picky though.
Questions answered correctly are worth 1 point each, if done using the correct procedure. For example, if I ask for them to raise hands and wait to be called on...then a shouted out answer earns nothing. But if we are using the whiteboards and they hold it up when they have the answer, then that is following the procedure for using whiteboards to answer questions...and the answer is worth a point.
Each student may earn 1 point for the day for Excellent Behavior. If every student in the class earns their point, I add a 20% bonus to the total of Behavior Points. Excellent Behavior is defined very specifically to mean: following directions the 1st time, no outbursts or interruptions, full participation in all activities without whining, keeping hands/feet/objects to yourself, sitting criss-cross when we are on the rug, raising hand and waiting to be called on to speak...and all without reminders in the middle of class. It's that last clause that really gets them, but is saving my sanity. I do give one class reminder about this definition at the beginning of each class period as a freebie, but after that, any reminders given to an individual count against them. Also, if I catch them out at not following any of those expected behaviors, I do not have to remind them in order to withhold the point. At the end of class, we go down the roster quickly and I let them know if they met my requirements. I also remind them that failing to get a point doesn't mean I am angry with them, and does not mean they were "bad"...but that there is a difference between good and excellent...and I only reward excellent behavior. Good isn't enough...good means you still have some small details to work on and polish up. Anyway, it's saving my sanity because I'd just about had it with having to constantly remind students with inane but important details like how to sit on the rug. The amount of time I spend in any given class giving simple redirections has been cut drastically in the last two weeks. I am pleased. It's rare for a class to earn the bonus, but it has happened a few times.
Point Deductions
For truly disruptive behavior or terrible attitude, I actually deduct 5 points from a student for the day...and it's a guaranteed deduction if I have to send anyone to an administrator. I also reserve the right to deduct at least 5 points (or more) for misbehavior while lining up and leaving my class after the day's point totals have been tallied and announced. That part about lining up and leaving my class in a civilized and quiet way or else I zap the points just earned? Solved my end of transition problems at my more challenging campus practically overnight. All but 2 classes got the message immediately, one class took getting nailed for the violation once...and I have one class that still doesn't understand at all, and probably won't reach their end of year goal now because of it.
The Prizes
All of my prizes are activity choices for their final music lesson of the year. As such, I can back up all of them with TEKS - no one can try to tell me that I'm wasting my instructional time, as each lesson has legitimate backing, even if they are a bit out of the norm...and not lessons even I would use on a weekly basis.
The top prize takes 500 points: an XBox360 "party" where they can choose one of my 9 music games to play for the class time and eat snacks that I provide. For 450 points, they can have snacks and I choose which game, or they can choose the game and they have no snacks. For 400 points, I choose the game, and there are no snacks.
For 300 points, they can watch a movie from a set list and eat snacks. All movies on the list are sing-along friendly. For 250 points, I choose the movie and they eat snacks, or they choose the movie and they have no snacks. For 200 points, I choose the movie and there are no snacks.
For 175 points, they can choose pretty much any musician or group of musicians and I will create a "Behind the Music" documentary for them on my computer and make the whole day about their life and music. Majority rules on the voting for who the documentary is about.
For 150 points, they can vote on 3 songs from the radio that they want to learn. All song submissions must be school appropriate and chosen in advance so I can learn them first. Again, majority rules for voting.
For 100 points, they may have a full lesson on recorders or percussion (depending on age group).
For 75 points, they play music bingo and I provide prizes for bingo winners. For 50, we'll still play music bingo, but without prizes to take home.
The Fine Print
Like any contest, we do have some fine print involved. For instance, each of the XBox games has a set list of songs I have pre-approved for them to play. Students are not allowed to choose anything off the list, period. I also line out that they may not bring any of their own equipment for the game console, and if they bring their own equipment that I will turn their stuff into the front office. This is also where I specify that they may not have their prize before their final class date, no matter how quickly they rack up their points, and that they do not have to choose the highest tier prize within their point level if they want something that costs fewer points instead. It's a fairly simple introduction to the legal style jargon that goes with contests of all types...and it has saved me tons of time answering questions about "what if..." and "can I..."
"Achievement Unlocked!"
Finally, I devote one of my bulletin boards in my room to information about all this. They can see easily on a bar graph how far along their class is, and how far along the other classes are also. They can read about the prizes and how to earn points and the fine print to remind themselves of how things work. Alongside the practical reasons for keeping it posted, putting it in bar graph form also helps me support math and science TEKS, as they get practice reading and interpreting the graph. During class, everything is noted on a printed up class roster. From there I can easily track who answered questions, who sang successful solos, who has behavior issues, who was not in class that day, etc. There's enough blank space on it for me to jot notes about which activities they completed, how many points I awarded for it, and when. I'm sure there's a more elegant way to track that somehow, but this is working for now. I'll put that under the elements that I think could be improved for next year.
So far, this little experiment has met with resounding success. I do still have a few nay-sayers, but those are the ones that are going to dig in their heels at everything for no reason at all. You can't win them all...especially when by ALL you mean close to 700 young people. I would say that I have fewer than 10, all told, who are that level of difficult. It's hard for me to complain about less than 2% of my student population being truly obstinate. The others that present difficulty are perfectly great kids who have a tendency to be forgetful or impulsive and it gets them into a tight spot every so often. I can't judge the forgetful and impulsive ones too harshly, when I myself am often guilty of being both forgetful and impulsive also. When I get frustrated, I do have to remember to look at the big picture!
Music class has taken a cue from the old school arcade: each student, and the class as a whole, can earn points towards rewards that will be given during the final music lesson for each class. Anyone that's every played Skee-ball (or any other ticket bestowing arcade game) for hours in pursuit of tickets to spend at a prize booth will understand the basis of how this works.
Earning Points
Each activity in the lesson is worth a set number of points. If the class completes it successfully (excellent participation, no whining, etc), then they get the points for that activity. Most activities are worth about 10 points, but more complicated or time consuming tasks are sometimes worth more (15-20), and activities that are completely a review are sometimes worth only 5 points. I love the versatility of this - each class can participate in the contest and be doing totally different things suited to their grade level.
Every solo sung correctly is worth 5 points. The students really love this one because the solos are often short. We use echo songs, and a student has to lead the song instead of me. This is a total win, because I get to hear (and easily keep track of) each student who leads the class and determine where they really are with their singing level, and they often earn a ridiculously high number of points for the day. I do have a set number of volunteers I take for the day though - otherwise they would do this for the whole lesson. Since I have it noted down who sang solos the week before (and the week before that, etc), it isn't too hard for me to get to students I would rarely hear otherwise. So far I've only taken volunteers, and I've had students volunteer to sing solos who have never asked to do this before. But you really do have to be particular about only awarding points for solos sung EXACTLY right. If the solo part is supposed to be on the pitches "So-Mi-Mi-So-Mi" and the student sings the right words but on the pitches "So-Mi-La-So-Mi"...then it isn't right, even if they sing in the right key and with a lovely vocal quality. It pays to be picky though.
Questions answered correctly are worth 1 point each, if done using the correct procedure. For example, if I ask for them to raise hands and wait to be called on...then a shouted out answer earns nothing. But if we are using the whiteboards and they hold it up when they have the answer, then that is following the procedure for using whiteboards to answer questions...and the answer is worth a point.
Each student may earn 1 point for the day for Excellent Behavior. If every student in the class earns their point, I add a 20% bonus to the total of Behavior Points. Excellent Behavior is defined very specifically to mean: following directions the 1st time, no outbursts or interruptions, full participation in all activities without whining, keeping hands/feet/objects to yourself, sitting criss-cross when we are on the rug, raising hand and waiting to be called on to speak...and all without reminders in the middle of class. It's that last clause that really gets them, but is saving my sanity. I do give one class reminder about this definition at the beginning of each class period as a freebie, but after that, any reminders given to an individual count against them. Also, if I catch them out at not following any of those expected behaviors, I do not have to remind them in order to withhold the point. At the end of class, we go down the roster quickly and I let them know if they met my requirements. I also remind them that failing to get a point doesn't mean I am angry with them, and does not mean they were "bad"...but that there is a difference between good and excellent...and I only reward excellent behavior. Good isn't enough...good means you still have some small details to work on and polish up. Anyway, it's saving my sanity because I'd just about had it with having to constantly remind students with inane but important details like how to sit on the rug. The amount of time I spend in any given class giving simple redirections has been cut drastically in the last two weeks. I am pleased. It's rare for a class to earn the bonus, but it has happened a few times.
Point Deductions
For truly disruptive behavior or terrible attitude, I actually deduct 5 points from a student for the day...and it's a guaranteed deduction if I have to send anyone to an administrator. I also reserve the right to deduct at least 5 points (or more) for misbehavior while lining up and leaving my class after the day's point totals have been tallied and announced. That part about lining up and leaving my class in a civilized and quiet way or else I zap the points just earned? Solved my end of transition problems at my more challenging campus practically overnight. All but 2 classes got the message immediately, one class took getting nailed for the violation once...and I have one class that still doesn't understand at all, and probably won't reach their end of year goal now because of it.
The Prizes
All of my prizes are activity choices for their final music lesson of the year. As such, I can back up all of them with TEKS - no one can try to tell me that I'm wasting my instructional time, as each lesson has legitimate backing, even if they are a bit out of the norm...and not lessons even I would use on a weekly basis.
The top prize takes 500 points: an XBox360 "party" where they can choose one of my 9 music games to play for the class time and eat snacks that I provide. For 450 points, they can have snacks and I choose which game, or they can choose the game and they have no snacks. For 400 points, I choose the game, and there are no snacks.
For 300 points, they can watch a movie from a set list and eat snacks. All movies on the list are sing-along friendly. For 250 points, I choose the movie and they eat snacks, or they choose the movie and they have no snacks. For 200 points, I choose the movie and there are no snacks.
For 175 points, they can choose pretty much any musician or group of musicians and I will create a "Behind the Music" documentary for them on my computer and make the whole day about their life and music. Majority rules on the voting for who the documentary is about.
For 150 points, they can vote on 3 songs from the radio that they want to learn. All song submissions must be school appropriate and chosen in advance so I can learn them first. Again, majority rules for voting.
For 100 points, they may have a full lesson on recorders or percussion (depending on age group).
For 75 points, they play music bingo and I provide prizes for bingo winners. For 50, we'll still play music bingo, but without prizes to take home.
The Fine Print
Like any contest, we do have some fine print involved. For instance, each of the XBox games has a set list of songs I have pre-approved for them to play. Students are not allowed to choose anything off the list, period. I also line out that they may not bring any of their own equipment for the game console, and if they bring their own equipment that I will turn their stuff into the front office. This is also where I specify that they may not have their prize before their final class date, no matter how quickly they rack up their points, and that they do not have to choose the highest tier prize within their point level if they want something that costs fewer points instead. It's a fairly simple introduction to the legal style jargon that goes with contests of all types...and it has saved me tons of time answering questions about "what if..." and "can I..."
"Achievement Unlocked!"
Finally, I devote one of my bulletin boards in my room to information about all this. They can see easily on a bar graph how far along their class is, and how far along the other classes are also. They can read about the prizes and how to earn points and the fine print to remind themselves of how things work. Alongside the practical reasons for keeping it posted, putting it in bar graph form also helps me support math and science TEKS, as they get practice reading and interpreting the graph. During class, everything is noted on a printed up class roster. From there I can easily track who answered questions, who sang successful solos, who has behavior issues, who was not in class that day, etc. There's enough blank space on it for me to jot notes about which activities they completed, how many points I awarded for it, and when. I'm sure there's a more elegant way to track that somehow, but this is working for now. I'll put that under the elements that I think could be improved for next year.
So far, this little experiment has met with resounding success. I do still have a few nay-sayers, but those are the ones that are going to dig in their heels at everything for no reason at all. You can't win them all...especially when by ALL you mean close to 700 young people. I would say that I have fewer than 10, all told, who are that level of difficult. It's hard for me to complain about less than 2% of my student population being truly obstinate. The others that present difficulty are perfectly great kids who have a tendency to be forgetful or impulsive and it gets them into a tight spot every so often. I can't judge the forgetful and impulsive ones too harshly, when I myself am often guilty of being both forgetful and impulsive also. When I get frustrated, I do have to remember to look at the big picture!
Monday, April 9, 2012
End of Year Insanity - GO!!
So we're down to the last 9 weeks of this school year, and in case things weren't busy enough, I know without a doubt that my world will explode with activity until late June.
But it's all good, and I know this. I've taken a step back from most of my out of school commitments for the past month, and that's been good for me. Everything that is coming is all good stuff - remind me of that in about 5 weeks or so!
I'll be returning to my usual weekly rehearsal and concert schedule with the Heart of Texas Concert Band next week...gearing up for what will be a super amazing summer concert schedule, including a performance at the Texas Bandmasters' Association conference in late July. I haven't seen my friends there in a little over a month, and I'm ready to go back!
After next week I will only have 2 more PTA performances for the year, and both will feature the choirs at my campuses - hallelujah! At one of my campuses, getting students to show up for those performances is like pulling teeth...their PTA is new and so there is not a strong tradition of doing this, and I don't have a lot of support from the other teachers and parents in getting the kiddos there. I know my fellow teachers have other things on their minds though, so I am understanding. I wish they would lend more of a hand, but it probably won't really happen until next year. All good things take time, and Rome wasn't built in a day, I suppose. I'll still be happy to reach the first week of May and be done with those PTA performances until the fall. Even a mediocre production takes a lot of work on my part, in and out of class.
That same campus where the PTA tradition is still trying to get off the ground, DOES have a strong musical performance tradition though - a full campus concert at the middle school they primarily feed into. They do this twice a year, once in December and again in May. Getting just under 400 children ready to sing on the same night? Nearly drove me crazy going into Christmas, but I think I'm better prepared to tackle this after having done it once. Time will tell.
Then there are my two private clarinet lesson kiddos - who are super low stress for me, but it still takes up some of my evening time two nights a week, when otherwise I might want to be home already.
STAAR testing still has one more week yet...we had the first round of major testing at the end of March, and the other half will be the last week of this month. Major testing invariably disrupts my normal class schedule, even though my direct involvement is comparatively minimal to other people on campus.
Aside from testing, there are also the myriad assemblies, field days, and field trips that are taken during the last quarter of the year...and just trying to figure out exactly how many lessons each class has remaining can make my head spin sometimes, especially when I KNOW that there are things that haven't made it to the calendar yet, but are sure to affect how much teaching I can accomplish in the time we have left!
Here we GO!!
But it's all good, and I know this. I've taken a step back from most of my out of school commitments for the past month, and that's been good for me. Everything that is coming is all good stuff - remind me of that in about 5 weeks or so!
I'll be returning to my usual weekly rehearsal and concert schedule with the Heart of Texas Concert Band next week...gearing up for what will be a super amazing summer concert schedule, including a performance at the Texas Bandmasters' Association conference in late July. I haven't seen my friends there in a little over a month, and I'm ready to go back!
After next week I will only have 2 more PTA performances for the year, and both will feature the choirs at my campuses - hallelujah! At one of my campuses, getting students to show up for those performances is like pulling teeth...their PTA is new and so there is not a strong tradition of doing this, and I don't have a lot of support from the other teachers and parents in getting the kiddos there. I know my fellow teachers have other things on their minds though, so I am understanding. I wish they would lend more of a hand, but it probably won't really happen until next year. All good things take time, and Rome wasn't built in a day, I suppose. I'll still be happy to reach the first week of May and be done with those PTA performances until the fall. Even a mediocre production takes a lot of work on my part, in and out of class.
That same campus where the PTA tradition is still trying to get off the ground, DOES have a strong musical performance tradition though - a full campus concert at the middle school they primarily feed into. They do this twice a year, once in December and again in May. Getting just under 400 children ready to sing on the same night? Nearly drove me crazy going into Christmas, but I think I'm better prepared to tackle this after having done it once. Time will tell.
Then there are my two private clarinet lesson kiddos - who are super low stress for me, but it still takes up some of my evening time two nights a week, when otherwise I might want to be home already.
STAAR testing still has one more week yet...we had the first round of major testing at the end of March, and the other half will be the last week of this month. Major testing invariably disrupts my normal class schedule, even though my direct involvement is comparatively minimal to other people on campus.
Aside from testing, there are also the myriad assemblies, field days, and field trips that are taken during the last quarter of the year...and just trying to figure out exactly how many lessons each class has remaining can make my head spin sometimes, especially when I KNOW that there are things that haven't made it to the calendar yet, but are sure to affect how much teaching I can accomplish in the time we have left!
Here we GO!!
Saturday, March 3, 2012
New Adventures on the Horizon
You wouldn't know it from my blog, but for most of the last three weeks (possibly longer), I've had a completely one track mind. In the near future my husband and I are going on a big vacation.
Now, I understand that people go on vacations all the time, and that it may not be a big deal to everyone. However, we have been together for five and a half years, and we have never taken a big vacation completely by ourselves, for ourselves. We have always spent our vacation time visiting family or friends - which is completely joyful and very cost effective - but that also means that we've not explored any new locations, and most of the time that means spending time on someone's couch/air mattress/spare bedroom. Nothing wrong with any of that, since we always have a great time with people we know that we love, in places we know we like...but it DOES make this trip something very different, and very special!
Not only is it our first trip by ourselves, but we've gone all out for this thing. So what are we going to do?
Go on a week long cruise through the Southern Caribbean!! Sun, sand, crystal clear waters, warm breezes, and a really huge boat to take us from island to island. We booked a stateroom with a balcony, two shore excursions, and bought a gift package with a bunch of extras.
I've never been on a cruise. I've never left the continental 48 states. Even flying has been a relatively rare occurrence in my life, so there's a lot of new experiences in this venture for me. By the way, I really geek out about flying. My family always took road trips for our major vacations. I have these fantastic memories of riding in a car all over the country as a child and teenager. I flew once when I was two, but I don't remember it...so the first time I remember getting on a plane was the summer of 2002, and I was 18. Since I couldn't compare the experience to pre-9/11 flying, I didn't have any of that disappointment to deal with, and I thought the whole thing was great. I understand that going through the checkpoints and such really isn't fun, but once you are ON the plane...I love it. I love the feeling of takeoff, I love the realization that I'm flying through the air at very high speeds to some cool new place that I've never been before, I love the busyness of the airport terminals. It doesn't bother me if my plane sits on the tarmac for awhile, or if my luggage is the last one to show up on the carousel. Maybe these things would bother me if I flew for business purposes, but since I've only ever flown for pleasure trips, I tend to not be in any hurry, and I savor the journey. Vacation doesn't start when you reach the destination - vacation starts the moment you leave the house!
This notion of traveling by ship excites me. I have traveled extensively by car, which I enjoy (although my husband HATES extended car trips, he has no patience for sitting in a car for long periods of time). I have traveled by train, although only once, and we both thought that was great fun. Very novel, traveling by train - but not for anyone in a hurry to get to where they are going. I have traveled by bus, which to date is the only form of travel that I hope never to repeat, except under specific circumstances. Traveling by bus is only acceptable when traveling by charter bus with a group of people you really enjoy spending time with, such as your marching band. Traveling by public bus, such as Greyhound, really is not very pleasant. I don't recommend it. Finally, I have traveled by plane, which I have already mentioned. To date, I have never traveled by ship - but soon I will have done that as well, and I am eager to report how that goes! My husband has been on 3 cruises, although the most recent of those has been nearly 10 years ago at this point, and he assures me that I will love it.
I don't doubt him about this for a minute. :-)
Anyway, I am brimming with excitement, soon to see new places, experience new foods, a new mode of travel, and lots of new people. I can't wait!!!
As a side note, I do realize that the cruise industry has had a good bit of bad publicity in the past few months, first with that incident in Italy, and also with another in the Indian Ocean. I will mention here that both of those cruise ships were owned by an affiliate of Carnival, who we are not sailing with. We are sailing on a Royal Caribbean ship, and their safety record is much, much better!!
So excited!
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Classroom Tetris...again
The administrator who assigned me the very tiny classroom I occupy at one of my schools came by my room yesterday. We talked after school, and she again lamented the fact that I had no where else to go, and how crowded my classes felt. I asked if she had any suggestions to open up more space - I'd already redone the basic layout of my room a few times so far this year. After pondering for a moment, she asked if I actually used my desk - she'd never seen me be anywhere near it. She's right of course - even when she's not around, I really don't use a desk. As I write, I have my laptop in my lap (it makes sense to me!). I'm not much for working at a desk unless I am crafting. Even then, practically any convenient flat surface will do. So yesterday evening my desk and a barely used bookcase were removed from my room.
I rearranged again. The room appears considerably larger now than it did before. I seriously need to post the before and after pics... But I need to redo my wall decor before I take pictures.
Now if only I had a bigger carpet...<sigh> It wouldn't hurt to ask, would it?
Before, when I said that by the time I got around to posting pictures of my redone room, that I'd have redone it again....I was right. I'd really like to stop moving my furniture now though.
I rearranged again. The room appears considerably larger now than it did before. I seriously need to post the before and after pics... But I need to redo my wall decor before I take pictures.
Now if only I had a bigger carpet...<sigh> It wouldn't hurt to ask, would it?
Before, when I said that by the time I got around to posting pictures of my redone room, that I'd have redone it again....I was right. I'd really like to stop moving my furniture now though.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
I love February!
February is one of my favorite months. It just gets better the older I get. First, my birthday is in February. That alone is reason for favoritism! But then I got into music education, and TMEA is also always in February. It was awesome in college, but now as a full on professional teacher, I savor it just as much or more - because I see tons of people I adore, who I almost never see otherwise. Old friends and teachers, former colleagues, etc. Some of these people I have known since elementary school, and we eventually ended up in the same career field (3 specific individuals come to mind immediately). Anyway, it's always good to catch up, compare notes, get new ideas, and learn some new things together. And buy some new toys, um, I mean TOOLS for our classrooms.
Yesterday I found a whole new reason to love February: my newest niece. She's adorable. As perfectly precious as anyone could hope for. I have three nieces, and of those, this is the only one I got to meet right away. The other two were born in other cities, and I didn't get to meet them until they were a few months old already. I will admit, it's a perspective altering experience, meeting someone so new to the world, and realizing exactly how small and precious a human life can be. Mostly, how precious. I find other forms of life precious too, of course - all life is precious, regardless of form - but yesterday's experience definitely honed in on my feelings about human life. A great affirmation, I suppose, of the thoughts and beliefs I already held. I hope that this sweet little girl grows up to be as amazing as my other two nieces, and as amazing as her parents. I couldn't be happier for them, I know they will be great. :-D
May everyone be blessed to see the wonderful little things in their lives today, and every day - time for me to go back to my really hectic schedule!
Yesterday I found a whole new reason to love February: my newest niece. She's adorable. As perfectly precious as anyone could hope for. I have three nieces, and of those, this is the only one I got to meet right away. The other two were born in other cities, and I didn't get to meet them until they were a few months old already. I will admit, it's a perspective altering experience, meeting someone so new to the world, and realizing exactly how small and precious a human life can be. Mostly, how precious. I find other forms of life precious too, of course - all life is precious, regardless of form - but yesterday's experience definitely honed in on my feelings about human life. A great affirmation, I suppose, of the thoughts and beliefs I already held. I hope that this sweet little girl grows up to be as amazing as my other two nieces, and as amazing as her parents. I couldn't be happier for them, I know they will be great. :-D
May everyone be blessed to see the wonderful little things in their lives today, and every day - time for me to go back to my really hectic schedule!
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