college & university Get Connected Judith Kirby, WMEA State Chair, College & University
In 1624, the English poet John Donne wrote the famous words, “No man is an island.” He es- sentially said that human beings do not thrive when isolated from others. All of us, especially those
of us in learning communities, need the support of others. Indeed, we live in a society where most of us are connected through social media, which can be use- ful. However, in-person communication is priceless.
Reflecting on my own career in music education, spanning close to 40 years, I recall my first teaching position. In 1978, I accepted a contract in the Rio Commu- nity School District. I was the vocal and general music teacher for grades 1-12. The closest school to Rio was 15 miles away. Rio had a band director. He was also new
to the school in 1978. In fact, nearly half of the teachers hired at that time were new to Rio. During undergraduate school at UW-Eau Claire, I did not envision myself in a city where the population was half the size of my high school graduating class. Needless to say, adjusting to life in a rural setting coupled with the challenges any first-year teacher faces, tested my strength. I will be forever grateful to the new fam- ily and consumer education teacher who reached out to me and inquired if I would be interested in sharing an apartment. I am glad that I had enough sense to say yes. Janice, a first-year teacher, was a 1978 graduate of UW-Stout. She was much more outgoing than me. As her sidekick, I learned the importance of meeting my co-workers and making friends in my new school. Imagine trying to present a concert or musical without the support of your learning community. Good working relationships in the school are vital. My advice is to meet new people. Greet your co-workers daily. Be a reliable friend.
Socialize with your fellow teachers. Be supportive of their work. Do not eat lunch alone, even though sometimes you are so busy it might be easier to sit at your desk with your sandwich, or worse yet skip lunch altogether. Skipping meals is never a good idea and a topic for another day.
In support of your own emotional health and happiness, making connections in your community away from the world of music and education is important. We have all been in social situations where the only topic of discussion is work. In my opinion, that is not good. Any employee in any field needs to set aside time for his or her mind to be away from the job.
Family should always be in first place when prioritizing events. Your family can be your best support system. A new job, especially for beginning teachers, often takes them quite a distance away from family members. Getting involved in a house of worship, health club, community
- Call for Research - Wisconsin State Music Conference
Now is your chance to present research at this year’s Research Poster Presentation at the Wisconsin State Music Conference! All submissions received by the deadline (see below) will be reviewed and considered for presentation. Please follow detailed guidelines at
wmeamusic.org/research-poster.
• Research must be about music education or other related music disciplines • Undergraduate and collaborative research projects are welcome • Reasearch studies should be current or recent
Submit a 300–500 word extended abstract via email attachment by Sept. 7 to
paul.budde@uwrf.edu. Be sure to include all contact info (name, title, affiliation, address, email, phone number) in the body of the message.
30 April 2018
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