band
Practical Steps for Professional Longevity Pat Pollock, WMEA State Chair, Band
Sound Familiar?
“Thank you for at- tending today’s in- service. Today we will be exploring the new state-man- dated educational initiatives that will go into effect at the
beginning of the next school year. After today’s meeting, you’ll be up to speed on your responsibilities for PPGs, UBD, BYOC, the new Teacher Effectiveness model, SLOs…”
For me, at this point in the presentation, the voice fades into the background and those acronyms mix with my more press- ing thoughts of concert festival, pre-state solo and ensemble recital, state solo and ensemble, spring concert, graduation. They all swirl into a tornado of profes- sional responsibilities that threaten to blow me out of my chair as I sit at the meeting.
In today’s educational climate, it appears that the state mandated educational ide- als and the ideals we’ve developed after years of hard work in the classroom are drifting farther and farther apart. How do we merge these two visions of education without driving ourselves into an abyss of paperwork that may result in losing sight of our educational principles and possibly driving us into a new profession?
Whether we have been teaching for five, 15 or 25 years, it is important to remember these four practical aspects to help us keep our heads above today’s rising profes- sional waters…
We Are All in This Together
Teachers and administrators alike are all under pressure to meet the new educational guidelines. We, as education professionals, need to be proactive in understanding and demonstrating how these new initiatives
20 April 2014
will coincide with our current practices. Many of these educational initiatives are already taking place in our classrooms. Working together with our administrators will deepen their understanding of the role that we have as music educators in this new climate.
Regular classroom observations and evaluations are the new norm. Meetings with your administrator can deepen their understanding on how we enhance the educational climate of our schools. These meetings can help us demonstrate to our administrators how these new initiatives appear in the band room. Be proactive. Invite your administrator into your class- room on a day you are planning to teach a lesson that coincides with a new initia- tive. Be ready to explain how your content meets standards and why your technique is successful.
Don’t Go It Alone
We all can learn something from someone. Becoming an active member of various professional organizations can supply us with valuable information that will help us through this transition. For me, network- ing with others in this business fosters new ideas and assists me in meeting my educational goals. Mentoring younger teachers is another avenue for professional connections. Your years of trial and error are very beneficial for those just begin- ning to formulate their practice. And, mentorship can be a two-way street. In a recent discussion concerning classroom
“…it is important to
remember these four practical aspects to help us keep our heads above today’s rising professional waters…”
teaching strategies with a young director, I gained information about developing a professional growth plan. That was a win for both of us!
Keep Music Making at the Forefront Many of today’s societal trends appear to be desensitizing us from our inner feelings. The educational trend toward academic measurement by standardized testing fosters the incredible stress of constant competition for test scores. Our students are judged by their competition with their classmates, with other school districts and even with students across the globe. Creating music is a unique opportunity for our students to get away from that stress; it is the reason they con- tinue to love music classes. Cooperative learning, peer mentorship, and small and large learning communities are just a few learning strategies that are visible to evaluators, but the kids come to you for the musical space you make for them. Keep
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