What challenges do new music educators face during the first five years of teaching?
Comments: 7
#7
Amy Beegle(Monday, 13 November 2017 20:58)
It is a pleasure to virtually meet you all and to read your responses. It seems that there is research to support much of what you all are saying here. According to Goodwin (2012), The common
challenges that all new teachers face: 1. finding resources for musical material and curriculum development, 2. finding ways to effectively plan for and execute classroom management, and 3. dealing
with unsupportive environments.
B. Goodwin (May, 2012) "Research says New Teachers Face Three Common Challenges" Educational Leadership, vol. 69, no. 8. pp. 84-85
In my own personal experience, I often have new teachers who were previously undergraduates in my program call, email, or visit me to talk about all of these issues during their first year of
teaching. The most frequent questions I get are related to classroom management because every school, classroom, and even classes and individual students themselves are very different... Teaching and
learning is contextual. I tell my students that they need to observe as many teachers as possible and to continue to attend workshops and conference sessions in order to add to their "toolboxes" of
strategies for setting classroom routines, structures, and behaviors that set up students for success, safety, and enjoyment of music class.
#6
Matthew Pedregón(Monday, 13 November 2017 19:10)
What wonderful responses we have so far and I couldn't agree more with what everyone has stated. Looking back to my first year of teaching, all I can remember is scrambling for survival! I can
remember meticulously planning lesson after lesson and watching each one fail week after week. It wasn't until the second or third month that I felt like I had finally gotten my head above water. I
feel like this is due to the fact that it takes time to get to know your students and really, children in general...a lot of time. It takes time to gain understanding as to how our students think, to
know what they like and dislike, to anticipate how they'll react in a variety of learning experiences, and most importantly, to build positive relationships with students. The only way through this
is time with kids as well as finding a quality experienced mentor you can turn to for advice. The first years are tough, but rest assured each year is always easier than the last.
#5
Sarah Joncas(Monday, 13 November 2017 15:27)
Megann, so many of the challenges you mentioned were also part of my experience. I was also mystified as to why things were so much harder in my first year teaching than they were in student
teaching. Classroom routines, expectations and procedures are critical, and have often been established by the mentor teacher before a student teacher comes in. It takes so much more work to build a
culture than it does to maintain one.
I agree with your point about "solidifying the content you teach". Most of the repertoire that music educators are teaching may not be challenging for them to perform themselves, but conveying it to
students is a different matter entirely and takes many different strategies that have to be practiced in order to be used effectively.
I believe that having enough high-quality repertoire can also be a challenge for new teachers. When trying to learn effective teaching processes, seeking out repertoire and connecting it to musical
skills can be overwhelming, and I have also sometimes done a song just because it is my favorite only to regret not saving it for another time. Long-term planning can alleviate some of this, and I
have found that doing my long-term planning with more experienced teachers as a resource has helped me be realistic about what students can accomplish in terms of rigor and pacing.
#4
Lisa Leach(Tuesday, 07 November 2017 12:57)
Megann and Sarah,
Great to hear from you both! I think I went into teaching music with very few expectations. I never had a school music experience until college. Maybe I just didn't know what I didn't know. Now in my
24th year, I've learned that consistency, questions and taking things slowly leads to success. What do I want the students to accomplish? think? explore? What are the steps to get there? Are there
other steps?
Will I ever know it all? Nope! That's ok because it reminds me of the inherent frustration in learning but also the inherent mystery.
#3
Megann Sala(Monday, 06 November 2017 22:29)
Sarah, I love what you said about seeing the student teaching experience "with a pretty rosy view of teaching and education" because nothing could be more true. As a first-year teacher, I'm still in
the process of understanding that what I was capable of doing as a student teacher will take time as a real teacher. I find myself getting frustrated for not being as successful as I was before and
realizing that it truly does take time to teach your kids. My advisor from college observed me last quarter and noticed that I was trying to teach like my teaching mentor. The advice she gave me that
day has helped me a lot since then.
Beyond that reality check, I think another big challenge is solidifying the content you teach. It's safe to say that we as teachers know the end goal but are unsure of how to get there. I found it
hard to not do all my favorite singing activities/songs in the first quarter, thinking that I would probably be scrambling for things to do by third quarter. So far, I've been able to save some for
better, more appropriate times!
#2
Sarah Joncas(Monday, 06 November 2017 21:18)
New music educators are still learning to teach, and often find themselves in very challenging teaching contexts. For example, in my first year teaching I was on a cart in in two different buildings
- one of which was a high-poverty school - and did not have access to instruments.
The first five years can also be filled with educational and induction requirements that are very time-intensive, and this along with lesson planning and other duties can lead to working many hours
beyond the expected school day. In Massachusetts, teachers are required to obtain a Master's degree within their first five years of teaching in order to gain professional licensure, so I am
currently taking graduate school classes as a student while also teaching full-time, which means many late nights and weekends spent hunched over a computer.
Music educators, both new and experienced, face public scrutiny of their programs in ways that other teachers typically do not. Concerts and informances are by their nature a reflection of the work
that teachers and students do, and this can be very stressful for new teachers trying to figure out how to balance programs with teaching content. Learning from a textbook how to put on a performance
is very different from actually executing one, especially when real life happens and students need to use the restroom right before their solo or break an instrument!
Personally, my biggest challenge in my first few years has been reconciling my ideals and personal philosophy of education with the realities of the systems in which I work. I think most teachers
finish their teacher prep program with a pretty rosy view of teaching and education, and many of my idealistic views were shattered very quickly. I'll never forget crying in my car after the first
time a student swore at me - it had never crossed my mind that something like that could happen! As much as we don't want to scare away future teachers, I think sharing the very real stories of both
positive and negative moments we face as teachers is important to help future music teachers understand what the job is really like. I can truly say that I have experienced the full spectrum of
emotions because of teaching, and I don't think that's something that I ever expected.
#1
Lisa Leach(Monday, 06 November 2017 11:01)
In Massachusetts, student teachers must have placements in at least two levels, elementary, middle and high. As a result, they only get about 10 weeks in any placement. At the elementary level, that
means 8-10 classes. My new teachers report a sense of isolation and being overwhelmed. As the only music teacher in their buildings, they rarely have the opportunity to co-teach or observe others
reinforcing those feelings. In Worcester, we build in some observation and co-teaching so they have multiple people to ask for support and loads of potential solutions to the issues they face.
Amy Beegle (Monday, 13 November 2017 20:58)
It is a pleasure to virtually meet you all and to read your responses. It seems that there is research to support much of what you all are saying here. According to Goodwin (2012), The common challenges that all new teachers face: 1. finding resources for musical material and curriculum development, 2. finding ways to effectively plan for and execute classroom management, and 3. dealing with unsupportive environments.
B. Goodwin (May, 2012) "Research says New Teachers Face Three Common Challenges" Educational Leadership, vol. 69, no. 8. pp. 84-85
In my own personal experience, I often have new teachers who were previously undergraduates in my program call, email, or visit me to talk about all of these issues during their first year of teaching. The most frequent questions I get are related to classroom management because every school, classroom, and even classes and individual students themselves are very different... Teaching and learning is contextual. I tell my students that they need to observe as many teachers as possible and to continue to attend workshops and conference sessions in order to add to their "toolboxes" of strategies for setting classroom routines, structures, and behaviors that set up students for success, safety, and enjoyment of music class.
Matthew Pedregón (Monday, 13 November 2017 19:10)
What wonderful responses we have so far and I couldn't agree more with what everyone has stated. Looking back to my first year of teaching, all I can remember is scrambling for survival! I can remember meticulously planning lesson after lesson and watching each one fail week after week. It wasn't until the second or third month that I felt like I had finally gotten my head above water. I feel like this is due to the fact that it takes time to get to know your students and really, children in general...a lot of time. It takes time to gain understanding as to how our students think, to know what they like and dislike, to anticipate how they'll react in a variety of learning experiences, and most importantly, to build positive relationships with students. The only way through this is time with kids as well as finding a quality experienced mentor you can turn to for advice. The first years are tough, but rest assured each year is always easier than the last.
Sarah Joncas (Monday, 13 November 2017 15:27)
Megann, so many of the challenges you mentioned were also part of my experience. I was also mystified as to why things were so much harder in my first year teaching than they were in student teaching. Classroom routines, expectations and procedures are critical, and have often been established by the mentor teacher before a student teacher comes in. It takes so much more work to build a culture than it does to maintain one.
I agree with your point about "solidifying the content you teach". Most of the repertoire that music educators are teaching may not be challenging for them to perform themselves, but conveying it to students is a different matter entirely and takes many different strategies that have to be practiced in order to be used effectively.
I believe that having enough high-quality repertoire can also be a challenge for new teachers. When trying to learn effective teaching processes, seeking out repertoire and connecting it to musical skills can be overwhelming, and I have also sometimes done a song just because it is my favorite only to regret not saving it for another time. Long-term planning can alleviate some of this, and I have found that doing my long-term planning with more experienced teachers as a resource has helped me be realistic about what students can accomplish in terms of rigor and pacing.
Lisa Leach (Tuesday, 07 November 2017 12:57)
Megann and Sarah,
Great to hear from you both! I think I went into teaching music with very few expectations. I never had a school music experience until college. Maybe I just didn't know what I didn't know. Now in my 24th year, I've learned that consistency, questions and taking things slowly leads to success. What do I want the students to accomplish? think? explore? What are the steps to get there? Are there other steps?
Will I ever know it all? Nope! That's ok because it reminds me of the inherent frustration in learning but also the inherent mystery.
Megann Sala (Monday, 06 November 2017 22:29)
Sarah, I love what you said about seeing the student teaching experience "with a pretty rosy view of teaching and education" because nothing could be more true. As a first-year teacher, I'm still in the process of understanding that what I was capable of doing as a student teacher will take time as a real teacher. I find myself getting frustrated for not being as successful as I was before and realizing that it truly does take time to teach your kids. My advisor from college observed me last quarter and noticed that I was trying to teach like my teaching mentor. The advice she gave me that day has helped me a lot since then.
Beyond that reality check, I think another big challenge is solidifying the content you teach. It's safe to say that we as teachers know the end goal but are unsure of how to get there. I found it hard to not do all my favorite singing activities/songs in the first quarter, thinking that I would probably be scrambling for things to do by third quarter. So far, I've been able to save some for better, more appropriate times!
Sarah Joncas (Monday, 06 November 2017 21:18)
New music educators are still learning to teach, and often find themselves in very challenging teaching contexts. For example, in my first year teaching I was on a cart in in two different buildings - one of which was a high-poverty school - and did not have access to instruments.
The first five years can also be filled with educational and induction requirements that are very time-intensive, and this along with lesson planning and other duties can lead to working many hours beyond the expected school day. In Massachusetts, teachers are required to obtain a Master's degree within their first five years of teaching in order to gain professional licensure, so I am currently taking graduate school classes as a student while also teaching full-time, which means many late nights and weekends spent hunched over a computer.
Music educators, both new and experienced, face public scrutiny of their programs in ways that other teachers typically do not. Concerts and informances are by their nature a reflection of the work that teachers and students do, and this can be very stressful for new teachers trying to figure out how to balance programs with teaching content. Learning from a textbook how to put on a performance is very different from actually executing one, especially when real life happens and students need to use the restroom right before their solo or break an instrument!
Personally, my biggest challenge in my first few years has been reconciling my ideals and personal philosophy of education with the realities of the systems in which I work. I think most teachers finish their teacher prep program with a pretty rosy view of teaching and education, and many of my idealistic views were shattered very quickly. I'll never forget crying in my car after the first time a student swore at me - it had never crossed my mind that something like that could happen! As much as we don't want to scare away future teachers, I think sharing the very real stories of both positive and negative moments we face as teachers is important to help future music teachers understand what the job is really like. I can truly say that I have experienced the full spectrum of emotions because of teaching, and I don't think that's something that I ever expected.
Lisa Leach (Monday, 06 November 2017 11:01)
In Massachusetts, student teachers must have placements in at least two levels, elementary, middle and high. As a result, they only get about 10 weeks in any placement. At the elementary level, that means 8-10 classes. My new teachers report a sense of isolation and being overwhelmed. As the only music teacher in their buildings, they rarely have the opportunity to co-teach or observe others reinforcing those feelings. In Worcester, we build in some observation and co-teaching so they have multiple people to ask for support and loads of potential solutions to the issues they face.