Hello fellow teachers!

I have suddenly realised that today has marked the end of the School Year for me in terms of my teaching. And I have come home both breathing a sigh of relief that I can finally relax, and also pondering what I have learned in my first year of teaching instrumentally. I have been mulling this over and come up with the following:

1. I love my job
2. I love working with kids who love making music
3. I love seeing my kids succeed...

but also, that

4. I need to work on ways to discipline the children I teach as well as keeping them engaged
5. I need to have more confidence to implement plans that I have which will benefit my pupils
6. That I'm not such a bad teacher after all, but there is still so much to learn (and as a side to this, that children can teach you things about yourself as well as vice versa).
7. I am rubbish at teaching in groups, and I need to find ways to deal with that


Do any other teachers have any thoughts they would like to share on what they have found particularly inspiring this year, or things that didn't go so well, or things they have learned abuot themselves? My inspiration is seeing kids perform at a School Assembly who would otherwise have never done so, and the thing that didn't go so well was teaching a group of 20+ KS1 kids (which I won't be doing again!).

Please add your two cents worth here!

This is an interesting topic. I don't think that I have learnt much about my teaching recently apart from finding that flirting with the men in my OAP choir brings in a few new members and keeps the existing ones on their toes in rehearsals.
When I started teaching I had little time for adult learners but this changed after about ten years. I realised that most of my students wouldn't make careers in music but were learning for the fun of it all. Adults I realised were just the same! And so I started teaching a few older student beginners and found it rewarding on many levels.
I learnt how to pick and choose pupils and how to walk away from stressful situations when I could not deal with them.
I have learnt over the years that I must teach to the best of my abilities but that I must always make the lessons enjoyable and must treat pupils with respect. Music making has to be a positive experience. I have seen too many pupils turned off music as a result of poor teaching and/or nasty and unpleasant old battleaxes who shouldn't be allowed anywhere near kids.
I think that the most important lesson that I have learnt is that everyone can learn and have a lot of pleasure making music at their own level. It is up to me to bring out the potential in my pupils; to inspire them with the desire to work well and to be proud of themselves.

I have been on holidays for a few weeks (got to love long Irish summer hols!). I definitely learned a lot this year.

Strengths:
1. I actually know what I'm doing! This may sound odd, but I was teaching a group of primary teachers the other week and was delighted to discover that I'm actually not a total charlatan.
2. I'm good at getting performances out of kids...remembering that the only mistake anyone will remember is a quiet, nervous sounding one and telling my students that! Loud and wrong is the best advice I can give anyone!
3. I have a good relationship with most of my pupils and can hand on heart say I have made a positive impact on their musical lives.

Weaknesses:
1. I have to learn to say no. Although there are 24 hours in a day and 7 days in the week, that does NOT mean I should try working through all of them!
2. I sometimes need to mark my patience a little...if I'm tired (Because I'm working too much ) I can be a little ratty with bad practisers. Not fair on anyone!
3. Must do scales every lesson!!! I tend to get too bogged down in other things and forget about them. Until the last minute Always a bit of a panic!

It's always good to think over the year that's gone by and consider what you've learned, improved upon or can improve upon in time to come.

Petrat's post is very interesting (especially concerning adult learners, an area where I fall short...). Looking forward to seeing what comes next!

Where possible work shorter hours. Family life is more important than being on the go all day.

I agree with Petrat on this point wholeheartedly. Bad stress eats away at a teacher's confidence and I think one of the most important things I have learnt in the last year or so is the vital importance of belief in myself and my abilities. When I feel confident I am calm, able to think clearly and I can give a well paced, structured lesson. Otherwise, if I feel pressured by a parent or a situation I might rush the delivery of a lesson or give the pupil too much to practise in the week - perhaps in an effort to justify my teaching. I know that can spell disaster. Perhaps one of my biggest learning curves was my classroom experience a couple of years ago. I understand what you are saying amt - teaching groups is hard work - but lots to be gained from it for the future. I did the City and Guild 7302 Delivering Learning course later - it was fantastic and I learnt a lot about handling group situations (even though the course was aimed at adult learning) without the stress of a classroom environment. I still prefer 1 to 1 though

Well that is absolutely the main thing - a good feeling to have at the end of the year!

I have learnt - from the wonderfully patient saint person who teaches me - to teach/learn the notes through the technique rather than the other way round.
You could also think of it as teaching the notes from the meaning/ communication of the music rather than just "adding the expression" as a new lick of paint once the notes are basically there. Which doesn't seem to work very well.

I do hope you get what I mean because I struggled to express that properly...

At the end of my first year/year and a half of teaching I have learnt that:-
1.I have 100% more patience that I ever thought I could have.
2. There is a vast difference between people's (adult and child) learning ability.
3. Persistence ( mine and theirs) reaps rewards ......eventually.
4. That the "plodder" will probably surprise me, the whizz kid starter will probably end up a disappointment.
5. That what I have played without difficulty for years ( thinking of scales here) are actually really difficult tasks for everyone.
6.Co-ordination is best taught at a young age!!!!!!!!!!!!
7.Child pupils are far more accepting of mistakes than adults. Adults get completely hung up about a wrong note. Children just hope you didn't notice and move on.
8. Students of all ages enjoy rewards...eg stickers. My 70 year old pupil today earned 3 smiley stars and was absolutely delighted, couldn't wait to show her friends.

Thanks for asking the question...you really got me thinking about everything.

That I am not superhuman, although I keep trying to be.

That I am a good teacher who has happy pupils that make progress.

That when I loose a pupil, the reason given is not to do with my professionalism, but to do with the personal and economic circumstances of the pupil (especially as there is a recession on).

That I am a darn fine singer and should be proud of it.
That I play the recorder a darn sight better than I thought.
That I'm a much better pianist than I think I am.


With the exception of no1. this might sound like a declaration of arrogance, but I have had low self esteem for years so to be able to list five real positives shows the potential for growth.

The biggies are: I now can stand 4' 11" tall and own my space and not be a shrinking violet, and that the glass is now half-full and not half-empty.

Well Kylie Minogue is only a fraction over 5'0" and she doesn't seem to be a shrinking violet.

Sometimes the extra inch between under 5' and over 5' matters

Definitely - every extra little bit helps - speaking as someone who is 5' and a 1/4

After not teaching for a year ater moving away to uni, I've learnt that as much as I used to have 'my moments', I do actually miss teaching.

Go you!

I've learned that I am a pretty awful teacher and need to re-think it all!

Scaramouche - you are not an awful teacher!!!

You got me to grade 5ish standard (the fail was entirely my fault and not yours!) in a little over two years and I'm still playing even if I don't have much time to practise.

Plus you taught me enough Theory to get my own grade 5 and then teach daughter 1 enough to get hers!

Have a great time next year and then get a job at a different school - too much baggage with the previous one!

PS see you Sat?

That I should have a more positive self-image. (Next year's goal will be to finish achieving it!!)

Nat that is not true.

I suppose this is what I mean when I say I have learnt to stand 4' 11" tall this year.

You need to learn to walk tall in your talents too.

However, I would not have been able to do this if I hadn't re contacted my former school teacher. He first met me as a very fresh faced 7 year old who played the recorder. Nurtured me through secondary school and I learnt a lot then. However the accompanist/soloist relationship we are developing has made me realise just how much I've learnt since, and how much of a similar wave-length we are on during rehearsals.

Last year I met my new singing teacher, this year I've done a lot of rehearsing with him and the combination has been amazing.

I hope that something similar can happen for you too.

How sweet!!

I've learnt that trying to teach young children in pairs is much harder than teaching them by themselves!!

Good:

That I've grown to really love children and working with them.

That I've learnt how to cheer children up when they come into a lesson feeling below par, and make their lessons fun.

That I've got much better at changing the pace of a lesson and keeping it varied with lots of different activities.

That I've got much more confident teaching large groups, and actually look forward to it now!

That I've taken the plunge and put three very average children in for exams, knowing full well it would be highly unlikely any of them would get a merit. None of them did but they all passed and are all delighted with their comments and certificates.

That I've learnt to go far more with what my students want musically, and adapt my teaching methods to their needs but without losing focus on helping them to keep improving technically and musically.

It's been wonderful to see so many of them improve noticeably this year with their intonation, posture, interpretation, musicality and confidence. They are the light of my life!

Bad:

That I don't always get enough sleep so spend too much time in lessons struggling against tiredness.

That I still don't make proper lesson plans.

That I still get caught up in a last minute rush doing timetables and reports etc.

That my house is far too messy for a music teacher.

That I still haven't put on a pupil concert (but do aim to rectify that this year).

That I'm still not very good at disciplining large groups when they start getting a bit rowdy. I'm too afraid that being too strict will alienate them, and still haven't learnt how to strike the right balance between firmness and kindness.

I'm still not very good on all the different aspects of classical music history and all the different terms and what they mean.

I'm not as good as I should be at enabling children to create their own musical arrangements and foment their own ideas.

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So all in all it's a mixture, but overall I think (hope) I'm improving year on year. Could do better though, so next year I aim to:

1. Go to bed much earlier - lights out at 10.30 whenever possible to be bright and fresh on every teaching day.

2. Take notes during lessons and refer to them in the next lesson. Detailed lesson plans are a no-brainer as too often the student hasn't done everything you asked them to do, so you'd have to deviate in any case.

3. Start reports much earlier so it doesn't become a stressful, mad rush at the end of every term/year.

4. Talk to more teachers about how to discipline large groups and practise what I learn. Read books about classroom management and try to apply!

5. Think up ideas as to how to enable children to be more proactive in their own learning. Research the best ideas on the subject and put them into practice. Keep notes on what works.

6. Spend time studying music history and improve my knowledge of all the musical forms.

7. Blitz my house once and for all and keep it that way. Asking new students to be tolerant of my 'bohemianism' is just a cop-out!

8. Copy and paste this post and keep it for future reference!

Thanks for sharing all that, Violinia. I had a few thoughts...

"Detailed lesson plans are a no-brainer as too often the student hasn't done everything you asked them to do, so you'd have to deviate in any case."

I absolutely agree with you there, although probably some won't. I think one of the very positive and valuable things about one-to-one tuition (and one reason why parents are willing to pay quite a lot for the privilege) is that you can respond to the individual child's needs - on that particular day. You can be spontaneous and go with something that catches their enthusiasm and don't have to stick to a lesson plan as you would with a class. You can respond to tiredness, a sore throat, lack of focus - or, conversely, a sudden interest in scales. I'm not suggesting complete haphazardness and lack of structure, but I don't agree that, for example, on week three I will present my pre-formulated and laminated-so-as-to-be-immutable lesson on 'rhythm'. Everything should be tailored to the individual child (I think) and should involve a lot of dialogue and questions which you can't pre-script.

My experience with teaching children composition has shown it's often amazing what they can come up with if you guide them, but leave them to their own devices without being too prescriptive, so again I agree with your philosophy here.

As for your bohemianism (!), I'm not brilliant at keeping my flat spotless either, but my policy is to make sure my teaching room and any other areas they are likely to see are at least respectable, if not totally clutter-free (but appropriate clutter!). They don't need to know about the chaos that may be lurking in the kitchen or the bedroom...

Re. reports and other admin: I now know that, even though I tend to start these things early, I am likely to be finishing them off the day before they're needed. However, I've recently also learned that I do always get everything finished on time and have never had to stay up all night to do so. Once I developed that faith in myself, I stopped panicking.

I hope you don't mind me contributing my thoughts. I guess one of the good things about these forums (personally, I think the only thing, but that's another matter) is when we can benefit from other people's experiences and knowledge (note I didn't say 'experience' - I'm not suggesting I'm more experienced than you!).

I have, through sheer weariness, given in to pressure from certain parents and put pupils in for exams when I knew they weren't ready. I have said this to the parents, but obviously did not say so vehemently enough. I am very ashamed (no results yet so I don't know the outcome but I fear the worst). I have vowed never, ever to do this again, even if it means I lose pupils!

I've realised how lucky I am with 'my' parents, especially when I read all the stories of difficult situations other teachers find themselves in.
I don't have any 'pushy' parents and everyone pays on time (or if someone does occasionally forget, they're really embarassed and apologetic). They all let me decide on when, or whether, to do exams and say they trust my judgement about that.
I guess it must be a lot to do with my age and experience, but it is very nice!

Apart from a lot of what has been mentioned before, over the years I've learnt to ALLOW people of every age to go at their own pace. Particularly as the singer's instrument is the body, it is affected by all sorts of stuff that life throws at us. This can mean that practice is not always done, or that the instrument itself hasn't enough energy to achieve everything it is capable of, and hormonal influences have a lot to answer for
I've learnt that it's OK for people to take a year to achieve what someone else does in a month, and when they do, it's a celebration!
That entering students for festivals or hosting a student concert is not a showcase for ME, but giving THEM an opportunity to perform and be proud of their achievements, however small. Also not entering students for exams if there is a chance they might not pass (unless unforseen circumstances) - not because of my record, but for their own self-esteem.

What did I learn over the last months?

1. I am not superhuman and have to take more care of my health.
2. Students are far more understanding about No. 1 than I thought, which took off a lot of pressure.
3. I really enjoy working with kids.
4. Some of my students have told me that I am very understanding and they feel very much at ease when they are working with me. Probably one of the nicest things to say to a teacher ...
5. No. 4. sadly still pinpoints one of my weaknesses: I am sometimes too soft. But I don't know if I really want to change this
6. I helped several students to get into College and Uni. Sadly, some of them literally dumped me afterwards and didn't even thank me. I have to find strategies to deal with this and not feel used ...
7. Getting tougher about T&Cs and Contracts really helps
8. I have to work on my piano skills again, but sadly the day has only 24hrs.
9. Teaching at home literally takes over your life, and I want a studio.
10. I really love working with musical theatre groups!

Technically I'm not yet a teacher, although I do have one theory pupil (who has taken grades 1 and 2 with marks of 100% and 98% )

But this year I've learnt that although I've got to a reasonable standard on the flute, I'm nowhere near ready to teach practically, and I've got so much to learn before I can take someone's musical education into my hands. For now I'm happy plodding along with my own lessons and doing every exam I can get my hands on - I love them!