2nd year crossroads

I hear they pay well in government jobs?? Military??? Less headache bigger salary! I've gotta say that that I've hit this years low point teaching in the UK. My two big hang ups are a) kids aren't making a great amount of quality music - 99% classroom music is learning about different kinds of world music, playing the recorder and Latin percussion instruments & composing, but besides some extra curricular stuff I don't see a musical product of the same musical caliber as teaching large ensemble music. b) Cultural motivation is so different here - the general public doesn’t have the same ambition to learn and many complain they don't care to learn about music. I do feel that pupils should elect what arts subjects they study in greater detail - so that the ones who couldn't care less don't ruin the practical lessons for the one's who do. Students can't fail and many put the responsibility of learning upon the teacher rather than taking the onus of success upon themselves. I strongly believe that dishing off personal responsibility to achieve is the fastest way of losing ambition.

The other headache I've been facing is classroom discipline. It's so difficult to be consistently stern. I naturally want to get into a quick flowing lesson and have the students creating music with everyone involved. It's been said that perhaps I want pupils to like me, but in reality I just want to teach and move forward. I can't do this when I have so many kids talking, not prepared for the lesson, not participating or distracting others who are making an effort. As a result they are slowing down the lesson as I'm forced to deal with the problems. I admit I still want to teach before I police, but perhaps one of the biggest lessons teachers give is routine and appropriate behaviour. I'm approaching this from the beginning of the lesson where the start of every class is consistently compliant without any discipline problems. This sets the tone and with repetition, I can slowly move this expectation into the middle and end of every lesson. To survive teaching I must consistently police every class. Policing must also be cost effective so I'm not always putting myself into detention.

The final hiccup I've had in the last month is total bureaucracy. Up until now I've generally always had a pretty positive response to my ability to meet deadlines, follow instructions and work in a team. My confidence in these aspects has taken a bit of beating as I've recently been told I've "dropped the ball" in the music dept. This has made me reflect a lot about what I'm doing, if I’m being proactive enough, whether requirements of me are clearly defined, who is responsible and is that clearly understood by all, if I'm asking for help when needed and whether I’m projecting insecurities upon the situation. The reason behind this has to do with sending off externally moderated coursework, debriefing with planning for success, and rehearsing the school musical. I could write 1000 words about the details but what it comes down to is lack of two-way communication. I didn't do what someone expected, I did what I thought was correct without questioning it. Things were left last minute where they became a problem. Hard lessons learned, but I've come out of the situation with a better idea of how I am managed best, I now know what I’m currently responsible for, and I’ve also gained insight as to how I would manage others in the future. When I've achieved things like "most outstanding recruit" at military basic training, top staff member & top band division at summer music camp, and graduating with distinction from University I can fall back upon these successes knowing I will pull through. I make mistakes and am not perfect, but I'm quick to learn and will champion obstacles in my path.

I'm definitely ready for some positive energy as the summer approaches. It's easy to get caught up in the heavy stuff, but the point of this blog is to be a record of my experiences good & bad. Bring on some good!!!

Latest news in becoming a 'Qualified' Teacher!

That's right - i'm still officially that crazy foreign teacher who's not actually qualified to teach in England! In my defence I've got four years to get it done - but today "dun da da dhuuuuun" I was observed by a professor from the University and my lesson was assessed as 'very good'. Wouldn't Eileen Cooper & Dave Dunnet be proud :D

It's fun getting feed back on good teaching in another country. There's hoops you've got to jump through to meet the minimum requirements. For instance every lesson must have a clear starter activity; you must state verbally and write out clear learning objective for the lesson and identify what pupils will achieve by the end of the lesson; the main activity must include differentiated tasks where higher and lower ability students can find success and be challenged at the appropriate level; & there must be a plenary (confirmation of learning at the end of the lesson). If these corner stones aren't met you can't 'possibly' have a good lesson. They have so many standards to tick off. Did you make cross curricular links? Was self, peer or teacher assessment used? Was there timely, accurate and constructive feedback? Does the lesson identify prior attainment of pupils and show links to national levels and expectations?

My lesson was pretty good. We discussed the main conventions and instrumentation of African Music. I had a couple video clips I ripped off youtube to demonstrate the different instruments and then made pupils make a web diagram before creating crossrhythms, polyrhythms, hockets and call & response on hand percussion. It was kinda funny because my class can be total monsters but they seemed to step it for the evaluation. I was pretty impressed because they have been pretty difficult in the past.

I did have to tell the evaluator that I'm still working on classroom discipline. It's tough being consistent!! That's my biggest down fall although some improvements been made. I just hate nit picking stupid things like lining up, correct uniform, being prepared with all your equipment, not distracting others or talking out, not throwing things, completing assignments or participating in tasks. These things detract and divert my energy from maintaining high energy levels and delivering excellent lessons. I've got to figure it out, but it's pretty exhausting. I think if I had a police officer in my classrooms teaching would be awesome!!

I have 2 more observations left before they decided if I'm qualified or not. Either way I get a pay check and feedback's always nice. I'll keep you posted :D

Billy Elliot the Musical

I saw Billy Elliot at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London. I am usually not one for child actors - they're generally sloppy with no sense of humour or personality: I've been proven wrong. Billy Elliot was fantastic. 13 year old kids dancing, acting singing (well the singing wasn't the best) but the show was amazing!! Lots of swearing by the mine workers but the show is authentic and does service to the 1980s and reforms under Margaret Thatcher. The accompaniest doing the splits was pretty impressive too. Just think of someone like the "Family Guy" doing the splits on stage. I would never believe it until I saw it happen.

This was a school trip and we took 42 teenagers along. Well worth it for everyone. I'm looking forward to planning the next one :D

4 days in Rome

Rome - Mamma Mia!!

I've returned from a most excellent 4 day trip to Rome. My adventures included Capuchin Monks & skeleton art; Fountana del Tritone; Spanish Steps; Fontana Trevi; Colosseum; Palatine Fields; Roman Forum; AMAZING PASTA & PIZZA; Vatican; St. Peter's Basilica; Pantheon; and large amounts of Gelato :D yuuuuuummmmy!!

Wayne and I rented an apartment on the outskirts of Rome - definitely cheaper than hotels and it only took us 15/20 minutes to travel into the City Centre. Nice place to stay and a relaxing environment. I became well acquainted with public transit - €1/trip. That's like 1/5 the cost compared to the UK. We're totally getting ripped off on this side of the Channel :(

I've never tasted Italian food like that in Rome. I went to all the little restaurants recommended in my tour book and was never disappointed. The pizza, pasta and gelato was beyond belief. Sooooo tasty I'd go back just for the food. Most menus were in Italian so it was a bit difficult making the right choice and Wayne generally ended up with some pretty crap appetisers lol! When you order mozzarella it comes as a chunk of wet cheese. Not really what you might expect sitting in the middle of a little plate.

I got to hear the Pope yammer on at the Vatican well I walked around Piazza San Pietro. It was cool seeing him on the big screen but he wrapped up his speech just as I was about to snap a photo of him... boo-urns. I had the chance to heckle with the road side vendors over sunglasses and knock - off purses (presents for back home). It was awesome - buddy was like "25 Euro" - my response "15" - He says "20" I say "15" - he says ok 15 :D hah I never thought it could be so easy. I probably could have taken him down to 10... can't be too greedy.

The best part was that we went the last weekend of the month when all Museums are free (well on the last sunday of the month). It averaged out to be rather inexpensive getting into the big attractions and soaking up the culture. Definitely pay the extra 4 Euro charge to have a tour of the Colosseum - you save yourself 1hr 1/2 in the line and when it comes down to it - it's the price of a Gelato. ALSO take a back pack with water bottles in it. By the end of the day the bottles are empty and the pack is a lot lighter so it's not too much hassle and you save yourself €5 for a bottle of water that costs .39 cents at the grocery store :D

My flights were alright mainly because I slept the whole way (the only advantage of cheap early flights) but booking ahead saved us around £250 so that's also highly recommended. I think I'll be laying low on the Travel radar the next few months to get the budget balanced. My next target is Ireland in the Summer followed by an up and coming weekend trip to Amsterdam I hope. You never know where the wind will take me. As for now its back to teaching another 7 week half term. Sounds short and sweet... I might use other adjectives lol.