Karen YonkersFaith Perspective on TeachingEDU 302/303September 26, 2016
I believe that teachers have a greater influence, for good or ill, on learners than any other single influence. Teachers can encourage, inspire, motivate, mentor and positively change the lives of their students. And I mean all that outside of their “content area”. On the other hand, teachers can discourage, defeat, squelch, remove hope, and negatively change the lives of their students. And, again, I mean all that outside of their “content area”. Because, ultimately, no matter what subject teachers teach, it is their attitude, character, demeanor, inclination, philosophy toward people, philosophy toward learning, and worldview of themselves, and how they fit into the world which speaks louder in the mind of learners than anything in their classroom. Whether or not we acknowledge this truth, it is truth. And upon this point lies the entire purpose of this essay.
I believe that every single person on this planet has the capacity to make choices which positively impact the world and people around them. With teachers, this includes choices which place learning, knowledge, and building self esteem in students as a high priority. They can show this by striving to understand how their students best learn, and aiming to meet the student where they are and guide them through the lessons of life. Some lessons of life are academic: reading, writing, mathematics. Others are practical: wait your turn, healthy choices, common courtesy. Still others are societal values: honesty, perseverance, kindness. Still other lessons of life are reserved for family and religion: household chores, faith, prayer, bible study. All these life lessons overlap in the source of instruction. For example, learners learn math basics in school, but also how to persevere to find the answers to difficult problems, and that carries over to other parts of their lives. At home, they may apply mathematical knowledge to using money, making recipes for family meals, budgeting or shopping. In religion, they find numerical lessons in many ways: specific times of prayer in Islam, numerical spiritual lessons such as the trinity in Christianity, the 12 Golden Rules of Buddhism, or the connection of Hebrew letters to numbers in Judaism. As stated in Christian Teachers in Public Schools (Stronks and Stronks, 1999) “It would be wonderful if all children came to school well on their way to having learned many of the components of positive character development. Unfortunately, that is often not the case. It is particularly necessary, therefore, that teachers at all levels understand which components of character development to teach and how these components can best be taught.” p. 37
It is one of the roles of teachers to guide students to make choices which positively impact the world and people around them. Character is built with a “Pay it forward” attitude, helping other students, working as a team, manifesting in small and big ways in the classroom, all depending on the teacher’s lead. I know it’s not possible to see every single thing which happens in a classroom. When I do see someone who is struggling in some way, I try to help them out. For example, if a student is having trouble learning a certain passage of music, I have several ways to break that passage down and will teach good practice strategies to the section as a whole. The student isn’t being singled out, but while they play with the entire section, all are learning good practice strategies. If the student is still struggling, I will make myself available during lunch or after school to students. I’ll say “The band room is available for individual help at lunch, or after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays for anyone wanting to come in for help”. Whether one or ten students come, I will use the time to help everyone feel a sense of accomplishment. When I teach, I believe in finding positive things to say about the student: “That was a very clear tone”, or “You took a very good preparatory breath there”, “I see you are remembering good posture habits”. Being able to discern a struggling student means making connections with students. And making connections means listening to what is important to them. I want to be sure and engage my students in conversation on a personal level, even if it is as simple as greeting them at the door when they arrive in class.
I view my teaching role as aligning with the Schwartz concept of “The Golden Rule Truth Seeker”, with an emphasis on open comparison and contrast of ALL worldviews. (Schwartz 1996). My father was a strong Christian, and he showed his Christian worldview in the way he interacted with adults and children at school, as he did in all parts of his life. I strive to do the same within a Judaic worldview. Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson compared all people to diamonds in various phases in the process of perfection, he saw the good in the not-yet-good.* Because I believe that God created the universe, including mankind, to glorify Him, I believe that all I do to positively impact the world and people around me elevates the future of all. I can bring positive influences with encouraging words, being accessible to students, providing inspiring posters in the classroom, taking an individual interest in all students, accommodating music for various skill levels while challenging students to improve their individual performing. I want a fun atmosphere which includes individual work, small group projects like solo and ensemble, and of course the whole-group work on concert repertoire. I would use reward systems to encourage participation, practice, and creativity. I would encourage a sense of ownership through student- led goal setting for our ensembles and value student input into repertoire selection. I will adopt peer critique, providing playing tests graded by peers using a rubric. Section leaders would grant student leadership roles. My teaching style includes written and oral reflective learning. This will be employed in comparing music, making personal connections, creating new music and expressing what was learned in the process.
Teachers teach values through modeling. Thinking before answering, looking for many strategies to teach a concept until a student comprehends, answering questions without judgment, accepting who students are . Teachers should understand students are still learning. As learners absorb these many sources of lessons, their underlying character is developed which will carry through their entire lives, not only in their schooling years. I want to be the teacher which students remember as a positive role model in their formative years. After all, knowledge is not just parroting a list of facts. It is knowing what to do with those facts, how to apply them to life, the discipline of learning and attitude of inquiry which carries a learner to graduation and forward into life. This was modeled to me as I grew up with a band director father. Many of Dad’s students looked to him for advice outside of band class, came back to visit after they graduated, and also tried their very best to perform well. Often my Dad would rewrite parts to simplify for students who had trouble with the original score. He would say he wrote a special part for them, and always made it a quiet, matter of fact part of band. I want to be accessible as he was. He was likeable because he had high expectations, and demanded respect in his classroom. Students appreciated his leadership, and learned by his example to help each other along, work as a team, and do their very best. This is the kind of teacher I want to be.
As I prepared this Unit Study, I tried to keep in mind that students learning music need to have encouragement and positive interactions so they feel comfortable. They need to see the ideal sound, typical tone for their instrument, have modeled the proper rhythms and phrasing. At the same time, as their teacher, I need to recognize that achieving this standard of excellence is a skill which takes yeas to perfect. And even then, it's never really "perfect". As I taught in the class at City Middle/High School, I found many ways to connect with students, help individuals and small groups, and lead the entire ensemble. I took time to talk to individuals as they came to class, or put away instruments. During sessions, I could break things down into manageable parts, and walk students through the steps, depending on their level. I said encouraging, positive things as I worked with students, and I feel that I was a positive and very essential assistant to my teacher supervisor. Music is one subject which students have contact with after school hours and after graduation. Understanding, loving, and relating to music are important social and emotional elements of humanity.
*This story of the Rebbe is common knowledge in Judaic circles. However, I found an excellent article encapsulating the essence of the teaching very well. Written by Simon Jacobson on Meaningful Life Center Universtiy: http://www.meaningfullife.com/every-person-is-a-diamond/ Jacobson is author of the book: Toward a Meaningful Life, 2002