As an aspiring teacher for this coming January, I feel as though I have all these ideas of what teaching should be. I realize that I will have to greatly adjust my thinking depending on the school I teach in, but every new teacher has the hope of one day changing the system. The system being the old fashioned way of learning; the students sit in a row and listen and listen and listen until their ears bleed. There has to be more out there. I think teachers have a fear of changing what is already so comfortable. They believe if they stick to what they familiar with no one will judge them as teachers or as people. I can understand this fear. When I first came to Seneca there were so many things I wanted to do with the students that were my ideas. As student teachers we get stuck in this “back seat” teaching because it is not really our classroom. Throwing out newfangled ideas may not always be an option. However, for those of us who have some freedom with our lesson planning, it can be scary to try new things with a class knowing that someone is constantly judging you. New teachers may feel the same way. Even though no one is watching them necessarily there is still a small fear that it will get back to you in a negative way. I was talking to Keith Styers, the music appreciation teacher and marching band director here at Seneca. I asked him what his views were on changing the system and weather or not teachers should be afraid to do so. “Absolutely be afraid! Parents are the worst. Speaking as a person who deals with “Marching Band Parents”, which anyone who has dealt with these people will understand that you have to try and stay as traditional as possible. If you have a great idea that will get the band to sound phenomenal but will upset the parents, you just don’t do it. Same goes for Music Appreciation. If my entire class fails a quiz I will give them the chance to re-take it. I won’t even change the quiz; I will just alter it to look different. That way the parent has no complaint. I did my job, their kid just didn’t do his/hers.” Fear of parents is very common in teachers; some of us like to call it parentaphobia. There are so many ways your job could be at risk when teaching. So the question really is how much choice do we have in what we can change?
As a choir director there are things that can be done to travel away from the norm. Multiculturalism is one of them. Allowing the students to explre other cultures is wonderful, new, and safe. There is also the idea of finding new things within their own culture. for example the choir will not just sing in English, they will perform in English. There is meaning behind all music, and as actors research their roles singers should research their music.
The balance between staying traditional and changing our ways can become a gray area. I think teachers can make changes in a more subtle fashion that does not necessarily buck the system. Giving my choir an acting lesson may not change the way the performance is viewed by the audience, but it gives the choir a chance to learn something and to explore their own creativity without feeling the pressure of change.
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Reading through what Gina has said, there are certainly a number of things that I agree with and understand. The word 'fear' when discussing parents strikes me as something that maybe should change. I believe the idea of having an awareness of parents is possibly a better approach. As teachers, we must always be aware of the involvement of parents in their childrens' lives. All in all, as crazy as they might be, parents for the most part really just want their children to have positive, enriching experiences that will help them later in life. I believe that it is extremely important right from the start to be sure that parents understand exactly what you are trying to accomplish with your program. If you are planning on changing things that they are used to, be sure that you send a letter home or schedule an open discussion with concerned parents. I believe that as long as you are able to adequately justify changes in a program, parents will remain supportive. As long as parents are sure that their children will still be given a positive, enriching experience, they have no reason to resist it. Of course you will deal with certain parents that will simply resist change because it is change. I think that teachers need to stop being pushovers and start pushing for what they believe in. We HAVE earned degrees in how to make sure that students have great experiences that will help to aid them later in life. If absolute resistance is met, then maybe it is more valuable for a teacher to go elsewhere. At Westminster we are told that if a particular voice teacher doesn't work for us, to find a new one, someone that is a better fit for us. Why can't we make this true for teaching as well. Why should we be forced to stay in situations that do not benefit us OR the students. I completely respect teachers who have simply found ways to adapt to the demands of the schools and parents with which they work for, however, why do we all have to be like that. I think its time that teachers start being trusted with what they are paid to do.
"The system being the old fashioned way of learning; the students sit in a row and listen and listen and listen until their ears bleed." WOW, what a depressing statement from a soon-to-be teacher. I feel my classroom is radically different from when I started. I am constantly learning and changing due to (good) professional development such as differentiated instruction, my creative and inspiring fellow educators (music and otherwise) and yes, even my student teachers. I still do some of the lessons that my student teachers wrote because they were good and offered a different perspective than I have. If my students don't get to play, sing, move and create in each lesson, I know I need to shut up a bit more next time (lol). Not everyone that has been teaching more than a decade (I'm well into my second decade) is part of this "system" that you talk about. I guess I might have that view if I spent many of my college years reading books by radical Brazilian marxists.
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