A little under ten weeks ago, I accepted an offer to become the Music Teacher at J.W. Wiseman Elementary in Portland, TN.  A little under seven weeks ago, I started my first full week of school. Things have been interesting to say the least. Teaching during a pandemic has certainly provided an extra twist to my first year as a music educator. When I begin to break it all down though, much of what has proven to be difficult about this job stems from things non-covid related. In fact, Covid-19 has managed to keep out of my way this year (and I would prefer it stay that way). Perhaps it is because I teach an age group that is less susceptible to the virus. It may also be because there are just so many different obstacles to overcome in this first year as an educator, and those obstacles outweigh anything that a virus could throw at me. I tend to think that it is a combination of the two. However, with each challenge and experience has come the opportunity to learn something new. That fact in itself might be the biggest thing I have come to appreciate in these first two months. Despite having graduated with a degree in Music Education, I am still very much a student of the field. Here are a few other things I have learned:

Teaching in-person classes during a pandemic is possible: Don’t get me wrong, this is as much a subjective assessment as it is a belief. My school has been blessed to be able to hold fully in-person classes Monday through Friday after starting the year in a hybrid format for the first two weeks. We have stood firm in our efforts to keep our kids safe through social distancing measures, personal protection equipment and regular cleaning. Even with all these procedures in place though, the risk is never zero. Other schools both in our county and in surrounding counties have implemented the same procedures and still had to return to virtual learning. I by no means will guarantee that we will be able to maintain in-person learning into the distant future. For now though, it is possible, and that is what is important.

Sometimes it is a fight to just stay on top of the work that needs to be done: I have discovered that I am someone who likes to get ahead on work that needs to be done. This might be one of my biggest surprises when considering that I was not this way in college. These first two months have shown me both how much I value working ahead, and just how difficult it can be to do that. Being a teacher is busy job. The bulk of the work that I do extends beyond what happens during class. Preparing for a lesson takes a lot of time and energy. Not only can it be difficult to work ahead, but I must factor in taking time for myself to rest. That leads me to my next point.

Rest is important! Rest is important! Rest is important! Got it? Good: I have had to remind myself just about every weekend that I absolutely need to rest. I am really good about taking care of myself during the week. I go to bed at 10 PM every night and wake up at 5 AM each morning. I make time each day to run three to five miles when I get home from work. I eat three solid meals a day and have healthy snacks to give me extra energy. I avoid caffeine to keep my voice in good health. I warmup with vocal exercises each morning to prepare myself for the large quantity of singing (in my mask and away from the kids) that I do each day. The weekdays are not a problem. It is the weekends where I struggle. I have had the bad habit of packing my Saturdays and Sundays with work: writing lesson plans, working on my own professional development, doing personal assignments, etc. I have discovered the hard way that if I do not give myself time to rest during the weekend, I will not feel rested and ready come time to return to school on Monday. Rest is so VERY VERY VERY important.

I love to teach: I had not necessarily expected this to be a surprise, but I have been encouraged by how much fun I am having. I absolutely love teaching. I have had some of my classes observed by my school administration and fellow teachers. One of the most common comments I get is that the students are extremely engaged in my classroom. While I would love to chalk that up to the power of music, I know that not every student is going to love Music Class. What they do love however is energy. Student’s love the kind of energy that comes from someone who really loves what they are doing when they stand up in the front of their class. In a way, I have been relieved that I love what I am doing as much as I do. I think that you never truly know how much you will love something until you get into it and truly experience it on your own, no matter how much you may have prepared, studied, or practiced it. 

I am currently working on a list of tips and tricks for a future blog post. These are things that I have found valuable as I power through this first year. I am by no means an expert on teaching. You will continue to hear me refer to myself as a student of the field. Most of what I share is subjective or pulled from other sources with that have much more experience than I. It is my hope though that you will find something interesting in the content that I share with you. Drop a comment below if something sparks your interest or you have something to share yourself!

Until next time…