Getting your first teaching job is so exciting! If you’re anything like me you had 1,001 thoughts running in your head about all the things you needed and you didn’t know where to start. Pause, take a breath and breathe deeply. If you’ve finished a degree program then there really isn’t a whole lot that… Continue reading What I Wish I Had as a First Year Teacher
Tag: Life Lessons
Summer Break Plans for Teachers
I’m officially on summer break and I’ll be honest, I am relieved. As a music teacher, I have concerts to plan and parents to contact about ensembles and all the other end of the year craziness that is part of teaching to begin with. I am also a crazy person and like to have big… Continue reading Summer Break Plans for Teachers
Summer Self Care for Teachers
That time of year is finally here! Yes, it’s summer! Well, it is for me anyway. If it isn’t summer when you’re reading this then I hope it becomes summer break very soon for you. Summer break can be a magical time. Teachers can finally take some much needed down time to relax and unwind… Continue reading Summer Self Care for Teachers
Student Recognition in the Music Room
Student recognition is quite literally what it sounds like. It’s praising a student for doing the right thing and making an effort to go above and beyond. I’m not saying to praise students for doing exactly what is expected of them, because I disagree with that too, but I am saying to look for students going the extra mile and make sure that they know you see them and value that.
Opening Routines for Band Class
An opening routine is a set of procedures that students do at the beginning of class to get prepped and ready for new instruction. They can either be simple or they can be elaborate. If you have an elaborate opening routine I suggest writing it down and displaying it somewhere in your room for students to see.
Life Lessons from “The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and the Horse” that We All Need to Hear
"The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and the Horse" was recently gifted to me by the mother of a close friend. She is the type of woman who radiates warmth and positivity and who makes you feel like you are being wrapped up in a soft, fuzzy blanket the entire time you are in her presence. She wrote a darling note in this book and I'll be honest, I almost cried when I read it. I held back the tears welling in my eyes because I was at said close friend's house kicking off the summer and I didn't want to be emotional.
Displaced Pedagogy 