As the final few days of the school come to a close and the chaos wanes, I can finally take a moment to reflect on the entire course of this year. And as I look back, I see that I am a far better, more effective teacher than I was on day one of this school year. The evidence of this is clear, as I think through the triumphs of my students and grade their final exams. This has been a year of growth and rigorous learning for all of us. I am thankful for their graciousness as I tried new techniques, tried new lessons, attempted new assessment methods, and planned more discourse. There were growing pains during much of the "change," but in the end, when I look at the joy on their faces, hear the beautiful music they perform, watch them sight-read a new piece of music in minutes, and listen to their intelligent and academic discussions, I'm in awe of the amazing things these students have accomplished. So here are the three things, I'd say are the biggest changes in my development as a teacher that led to this beautiful result.
- It is worth the extra time to slow down and empower students by giving them opportunities to tell and show what they know or are learning.
- Music literacy skills are only maintained if they are worked on daily.
- Simplify, simplify, simplify! Seriously, you don't need to do it all today!
So there is it folks. This list is obviously not the complete index of what I've learned this year (I'd need a least another 50 pages to list all of the learning and growth), but it is important to note that these particular elements really made an impact on student engagement and learning. So I will count that as a win, and continue to strive to be a better educator each day.
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