The beginning of the school year is full of excitement and stress. You'll have a lot of paperwork and training for your district that will eat up a lot of your time (medical/emergency training, state mandated training, district/school initiatives, not to mention all the first-year teaching items like healthcare, retirement, and the joys of living on your own for perhaps the first time). As soon as you have a job, work on the following items so they are ready to go for your year!
Want to talk beginning of the year music-making? Check out the companion post to this: Starting the School Year: Rehearsals. Handbooks/Syllabi Create a document explaining your program and have students and families "sign-off" that they understand your expectations. A quick Google search will provide you many examples of Choir Handbooks from around the country (here's mine from 2017-2018). If your predecessor had a handbook, adapt it to fit your needs. If not, ask your peers and friends (or look at similar programs in your area) to start you off. Some potential items to consider including:
If you're not sure whether or not to include something, just remember that each year you'll get to edit the handbook as you desire! FYI my district has 1:1 student technology so I do not print my handbook for students. I have part of my website devoted to all the back-to-school info and show students this and email the links home. If a student needs it printed I have a handful printed off but otherwise I do everything digitally! Calendars Make a 1-page calendar and print it off for your students. Include all important dates for the school year. Share this calendar in paper form with your administrators, administrative assistants, athletic/activity directors, and your music colleagues in your district. Post the calendar in your classroom and make physical copies to hand to each student. I also generally make extras so I can give them to students added to the choirs throughout the year, to have out at parent meetings/conferences, and to hand to any guests in our classroom. You can also make a digital version of the calendar (such as a pdf) or a Google Calendar. On my paper calendar I include day of the week, date, time, description of the event, location, and who is expected to be there (i.e. which choirs, if it is optional or required, etc.) Check out my choir website for how I link multiple versions to my site. If you have a website link all of the versions of your calendar so that NO ONE has an excuse to miss your events for the year! If you're new make sure you have filled out building reservation forms for the dates you are reserving spaces for your events. Ask your colleagues and administrative assistants what the protocol is for this. If you're lucky, your predecessor will have already taken care of this for you! If not, get this done right away for all of your events for the year so no one double-books anything for the dates you need. Check out all the other school activities around your performance dates to make sure you are proactive about any conflicts that might come up. The earlier you communicate the more people will realize you are organized, flexible, and on top of things! Parent/Family Communication I have students and parents "sign-off" that they have read the handbook and know the calendar dates by means of a Google form. I also ask them to sign up for www.remind.com and our Music Booster organization has a parent volunteer survey we also send out. Once I have my class rosters I build my parent email list for ease in communication. Your grading/student information programs might have an easy way to do this so check with your colleagues/administrators about the best way to reach out to parents digitally. More to come on building family connections and fostering a supportive behind-the-scenes network. Stay tuned!
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Between formal interviews, conference discussion forums, email conversations, and Facebook groups I have looked for veteran teacher advice for newbies over the past year. Hopefully some of this will help! And if you're a veteran/mentor/cooperating teacher and know I'm missing something reach out to me and let's make a Round 2 of this post! A lot of this advice is miscellaneous and many of these topics are (or will be) discussed in more depth in other entries. General advice:
How do you make a clear boundary between you as a teacher if you are close in age to your students?
Each school year I suddenly have Rodgers & Hammerstein's classic tune from The King and I "Getting to know you" in my head. All of these new faces are now in front of me with their own talents, insecurities, and questions. How can I teach all of these wildly different people?
Learn Names Do whatever you can to learn all of your student names in the first week. Study your class lists (especially if your student management system includes pictures). Each year I have each student hold a whiteboard with their name on it and take a picture. I then print these pictures off and hang them in my classroom. I use the digital files as flashcards and study the photos and names until I know everyone. Hanging the photos in the room allows other students to also learn the names. Why learn names? Students want to know you value them. This includes learning their preferred nicknames, correct pronunciation of their name, and even their preferred gender pronouns. Build Community Learning names -> shows you care -> helps build relationships -> leads to mutual trust -> builds community -> minimizes disruptions -> allows for learning ... and so on. Choir is a social activity and should be built on mutual respect. The more you know your students, the more music you will be able to do! Attend other events in the school. Ask your students about their other interests. Do not assume choir is their whole life just because it is yours! Plan choir social events such as game nights, bonfires, attending other musical events, or doing a service project. However, don't just throw a bunch of added activities to the calendar. Be purposeful and strategic - use your student leaders to gauge which activities would be the most beneficial and meaningful. Don't stretch yourself too thin with trying to do too much too soon. Consider using a "Student Information Form" like this to get to know your students. I used to use a paper version of this before our district had 1:1 technology. These take time to read but give me great insight into my students. It also allows me to see any major changes in students I have worked with in the past. Ice breakers There are tons of resources online for ice breaker activities to help your students get to know each other. My students love leading these activities so ask your student leaders to plan and run these activities! If you DON'T do name games and get-to-know you activities chances are the students will be less engaged and comfortable. Students will also not buy-in to games they feel are patronizing or childish so giving them ownership typically solves this problem! Sometimes students are really socially overwhelmed by ice breakers so breaking your ensembles into smaller groups can alleviate stress and anxiety amongst your group. ...It's a very ancient saying but a true and honest thought That if you become a teacher by your pupils you'll be taught,,, A great way to do some professional development on your own is to listen to podcasts. Below are podcasts that seem to offer a wide range of perspectives and hopefully inspiration!
Am I missing any? Let me know! Becoming a Cooperating Teacher has been one of the most rewarding things I have done, and serving as a music mentor for new choir teachers in my area is something I hope to do for the rest of my career. This interest drove me to study beginning teachers and as part of this study I have interviewed experienced cooperating teachers and have summarized their advice below. I highly recommend the book Handbook for the Music Mentor (Conway, Smith, & Hodgman).
Interview the Candidate The process of pairing you with a student teacher can vary with universities. I recommend trying to have a regular dialogue with the university supervisor and interviewing student teacher candidates before agreeing to take them on if at all possible. Both sides need to be assured the fit will work between the personalities of the teachers and the schools. Let the candidate observe you (or even better do their practicum or clinical experience at your school). First Meeting When you know they're your student teacher, meet with them before the placement begins.
Suggested Documents for your Student Teacher (ST)
And I'd recommend creating a handbook just for your student teachers. Include:
Check out my Student Teacher Handbook for more information. Feel free to steal any of this for your own use! Adult Learners Student Teaching is an extremely fragile time. No matter your age gap with your student teachers, know that they need a nurturing relationship and a mentor who will challenge them. We have a teacher shortage in our country and it is our responsibility as cooperating teachers to get each student teacher as far up to "speed" as we can so they can find success in their classrooms. Also realize your student teacher is an adult and therefore should be treated differently than how you treat your students. Be diligent, fair, and tenacious and you will hopefully have a fantastic experience with this new teacher! A few words of warning
Congrats! You got a job! Now what? Get keys to your classroom as quickly as possible. Work around the summer-cleaning schedule in your building and spend as much time as you can becoming comfortable in your new space and getting to know the lay-of-the-land!
When I first started teaching, my wonderful new band colleague shared an article with me by C.J. Maltas called "The ghosts of music teachers past" from Teaching Music. No, this was not about having a haunted classroom. Instead, it talked about how your predecessor can really shape your start in your new position. If you are following a beloved teacher who was there for decades, you will have a certain set of challenges. If you are following a teacher who burned bridges, was uninspired, or left for awkward reasons you will face an entirely different set of challenges. Or maybe you are the 6th choir teacher in 3 years. All of these scenarios should shape, change, and inform how you approach your position. Consider how the context of this job opening will have especially made your students feel, and plan thoughtfully for how to address and manage this as your school year approaches. Info to get from your predecessor (if you can - if you can't ask your new colleagues):
Take all of this information with a grain of salt - keep an open mind and realize you may not agree with your predecessor's ideas. People to reach out to and meet if possible:
Things to do in your classroom:
Source: Maltas, C. J. (2007). Professional notes: The ghosts of music teachers past. Teaching Music, 14(5), 28-31. Jack Canfield (Chicken Soup For Your Soul series) recommends the E+R=O method and I have a version of this posted in my classroom. You can't always choose where you student teach. But you can have an amazing experience if you check out these lists of ideas and own your experience! Before You Student Teach Set up a meeting with your Cooperating Teacher (CT) and find out as much information as you can!
Working with your Cooperating Teacher (CT)
Working with your University Supervisor
What to do when you have "free" or prep time during your ST experience:
What NOT to do during your free time at school:
Reflection and Perspective
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