March 17, 2010

I have been having a problem at one of my schools. For some reason several kids in my 4th and 5th grade bands have decided that bringing their instrument to class just isn't important. I have spent several weeks tracking them down within the school and asking them why? Why didn't you bring your instrument? Why were you not in class? It seems very trivial to me, but it is important that I track these kids down to make them understand that you do not skip my class just because you feel like it. They are told from day one that if they do not bring their instrument they are still repsonsible for coming to class. If they do not have their instrument, sometimes I have one they can borrow for the day. Other times, they are told to sit within their section and pay attention to what is being taught in class. However, then you have the real smarties. These are the kids who have forgotten their instruments and want to make the whole class suffer by saying out loud how stupid the class is, etc. We know these kids. Everyone has these kids in their classes. The kids who want to make it hard for everyone else to learn get a nice writing assignment during class. This really makes them mad because they feel like they should not have to write during a performance based class. Oh well I say, bring your instrument and a better attitude and you won't have to write. Upon self-reflection I often try to figure out what is going on with certain students who do this on a regular basis. One phone call to the house often has a lot to do with it. You can learn a lot about a student's home life usually with one phone call. Although, as a teacher, I have learned that sometimes calling home is not always the best idea because what they do at home might be way worse than what we are doing at the school. Sometimes phone calls home can get the kids into trouble that we as educators do not feel comfortable with. As a teacher, self-reflection is important in these situtaions because you have to know that it is important enough to call home. Also, in situations where the kids are not doing what they need to for me, it is usually that way for the kids' other teachers as well. There is a very good paralell with what is happening in their homeroom classes and what they are doing for me. Band is something that has a stigma to it. Young kids feel that band is a cool way to express themselves. I can often use that to my advantage to get through to these kids. I love speaking with the other teachers in the buildings. It gives me insight as to what might be going on in the kids home life that I may not be aware of.