Teachers – we’ve all been there. Even though your job is to teach your students, often we leave the experience having learned a lesson ourselves. It’s a cycle that continues with each class, year or group of students. Here, Portland teacher Tricia C. reflects on an important lesson she learned during one such class…
Nine weeks. It was only going to be nine weeks. I figured that I could handle nine weeks. After teaching college choirs and mentoring many music students for whole year slots, nine weeks seemed to be nothing. Yep, I was more than confident; these nine weeks were in the bag.
I had been teaching choir to a couple different groups, working mostly with children. This choir of young home-schooled students didn’t scare me. I wasn’t worried about their “teenageness,” or their lack of smiling faces. Those are nothing new in the world of teaching. I thought to myself: what’s the worse that could happen? I already knew that children are incredibly willing to learn. But I was soon going to learn even more that, sometimes, even with the willingness, they can be incredibly hard to teach.
After my first week I came home frustrated and grouchy because a young girl about the age of eight told me I looked like a snake swallowing a mouse when I sang (referring to how open my mouth was). The second week was not much better, as two sisters chose that day to fight and bring me in the middle of it. By week four I was counting down the days, after finding out that over half the choir strongly disliked my hair.
An old professor once told me that every choir session would be different, and I now understand what he meant. There were times I wanted to rip my hair out. And still other times, I wanted to throw away all the songs and start over with “Twinkle Twinkle little Star”; the threat of which seems to make them shape up every time. In the end it took looking at each student and reminding myself that music has the ability to cross boundaries I could only ever hope. I found I read more and more material prepping for each session than I really thought I ever would. This was part of the key to my success. I also realized I could be firm with my students, and still be a good teacher.
I never understood how my professor could get up in front of our choir for a performance and smile so, when we sang. That is, until I did the same and realized there is a joy in seeing that my students were listening. When they sung their hearts out, and that sweet melody reached my ears, I was in awe of the abilities I brought out in them. It was then I realized I too was smiling wide and broad, and reminding myself of my old choir professor. Next time, I will not be so reluctant when I am asked to teach a nine-week session. Instead I will smile, be firm, take a breath and dive into the music at hand. I may not be a favorite teacher, but I know they will remember me one day. Just like I do my professor.
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Tricia C. teaches piano, singing, music performance, music theory and songwriting lessons to students of all ages in Portland, OR. Tricia received her Bachelor’s degree in Music from Multnomah University, and joined the TakeLessons team in June 2012. Sign up for lessons with Tricia, or visit the TakeLessons search page to find a teacher near you!
Photo by phoosh.
Suzy S.