greetings from DPI
are vital when helping support students learning and prepare them for careers that do not exist yet. The more we coddle kids the less they adapt and evolve as humans. We need to find a healthy balance between supporting and allowing for personal growth and choice."
What are you most excited about for this school year?
Susan Roepke, visual arts and theatre educator from New Holstein High School, said, "I love what I do every day of my life. These young and talented individuals make me enjoy coming to work every day. They always bring in new challenges, questions and energy to learn and be creative. Every day is a new adventure and a blessing!"
reading a lot of Brené Brown's works re- cently. In her new book, Atlas of the Heart, Brené states, "In the research, we learned that the most effective way to cultivate joy in our lives is to practice gratitude. The key word here is practice. It's not just about feeling grateful, it's about developing an observable practice. So often we think that joy makes us grateful, when in reality it's gratitude that brings joy."
You have to love Susan's passion; believe me, if you saw her teach, you would see that passion on display! Yet, this is a dif- ferent question to answer for many. Many educators in Wisconsin are overworked, underpaid, underappreciated, underfunded, and exhausted. The theme of this issue is "The Joy of Teaching," and I would guess that many would say, "what joy?"
I believe it is essential to acknowledge the pain and struggle many teachers feel while also considering perspectives. I've been
Wisconsin School Musician
Try this. Get a sheet of paper and write down all the things you are grateful for in your personal life. Now, do the same in your professional life. You will find that we are most thankful for the connections we have to people and not the things. Trophies, instruments, schedules, and facilities are all extrinsic items, whereas your connection to your students, colleagues, community, and music is intrinsic and long-lasting. Oprah Winfrey once said, "Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough."
I am grateful to those I visited this fall and the educators who shared their thoughts and ideas. I found great joy in watching you teach and in our conversations. I look forward to visiting more schools and making more connections. It goes without saying that I'm grateful for all of you, the "Heart of Wisconsin," for accepting this "call" to teach. Tap into your gratitude and rediscover the joy you have for teaching.
P.S. – Speaking of connection and grati- tude, I will soon begin sending out a monthly arts and creativity newsletter containing updates, tools, resources and announcements! If you are not on the listserv (or don’t remember), simply send a blank email to subscribe-wiartsed@lists.
dpi.wi.gov to join the listserv and to receive the newsletter.
References:
Brown, Brené. Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience. Random House, 2021.
Emswiler, Colton. “Area School Districts Deal in Different Ways with Student Cell Phone Use.” WXOW. com,
WXOW.com, 7 Nov. 2022,
https://www.wxow.com/news/area- school-districts-deal-in-different- ways-with-student-cell-phone-use/ article_d4cd77d4-5ef0-11ed-842a-
3bb60be1f88b.html. Accessed 11 Nov. 2022.
Graphs and participant quotes come from data collected on the Arts and Creativity Fall Tour Survey, September 27 to October 5, 2022.
Chris Gleason is arts and creativity consultant at Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and 2017 Wisconsin Teacher of the Year. Email:
christopher.gleason@
dpi.wi.gov
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