This is a day worth writing

 Jan 17, 2012

I don't write much about teaching, although that is the main reason why I came over here. I think it is because it's my first year, and most of the time I feel like I am still figuring out what in the world I am doing. But yesterday was a good day. It is a day worth writing about.

I woke up in the morning thinking, "Today I get to meet my new choir!" with some excitement and some trepidation. This week is the official start of our new semester, and with the way middle school choir is set up, choir changes with the semester. When I looked at the sign-up sheet, I was shocked to see that there were 23 students enrolled (double the amount of first semester) -- and half of them boys. Knowing the requirement for music, I had my suspicions that they probably all didn't want to be there. But I had a plan! I was ready for them.

Checking my email, I found a few "lesson plans" from my mentor teacher for her classes that day. Suddenly I remembered that she had asked me to sub, and I had neglected to write it down! Fortunately, I had adequate time to hurry to school and prepare for the extra lessons.

I am thankful for the chance to sub for my mentor teacher. She teaches the younger grades and I've had a sneaking suspicion that my forte is with this age group, instead of upper elementary-middle school. It is still hard for me sometimes to "feel it" in the classroom as I'm teaching with my 4th and 5th graders, but with the few times I've subbed for the younger grades, it comes so much more naturally. It's a good feeling.

Last week I had a talent show with my 5th grader to wrap up the semester. They loved it so much that we didn't have enough time to fit everyone in, so we continued the next class period. A lot of my students have quite some talent (I had an er-hu, a pipa, an ocarina, along with the standard violin and piano), and the last act with the smallest boy student's skills on the violin was a big hit. Some students had chosen to sing a few pop songs, so I took the opportunity to talk about the "appropriateness" of songs and why it is important to make good choices with our music (although I lightly screened their choices, there was some debate amongst the class about some aspects). I was impressed by several of my students with their answers about why we should be discerning in what we listen to. It was definitely a teachable moment and I was glad to jump at the chance.

On a tangent about my 5th grade class...I like my 5th graders. They are amusing, sweet, and a little more mature than the 4th graders. Most of the attitude problems have been corrected, but there is one boy that I've continually had barriers in trying to reach. There is a cold, hard shell around him and he seems constantly angry or brooding over something. I realized today on my way home that it is very likely something is going on at home that I don't know about. Taiwanese marriages these days hold very little to the ideal of the family, putting careers and money in front, and often the fathers are either physically or emotionally absent from the home. That would explain a lot. From now on, I will see this student from a different perspective.

Choir. The 9th grade girls walked in announcing, "Your choir students are here!" Turned out that 1/3 of them were missing, on a field trip, but our first day of introductions went well. The older kids actually want to be there and I am hoping they will be good role models for the younger ones. I can already tell that they will help me to work harder as a teacher because I know if I don't own what I teach, they will see right through me. Time to start reading my choir book like it's the Bible! (and pray a lot :D)

This semester, 3 students signed up for the elementary "Advanced Strings" class. I was hoping that I could play the cello with them and form a nice quartet, but the level of one of the new students was lower than I thought it would be. I was encouraged by the other two students, though. They started to make suggestions on how to help their classmate and make it easier for her. One of them (3rd grade) came up and looked at the music I had picked out and told me that we should give her the bass part -- which actually was not a bad idea. I transposed it right after school and felt good about it.

2nd semester is going to be so much better than the first.

Thankful:
-for a fiance who prays for me and encourages me
-for second chances
-for good students, and challenging ones
-that I've past the halfway point
-that His mercies are new every morning!