I just finished my final day of my first week teaching in the elementary setting, and I must say that it is loads different than teaching in the high school. I’ve decided to use this week’s Student Teacher’s Notebook to highlight the differences I have experienced: [Read more...]
STN Weeks 6-8: End of Secondary
03/21/11 By 2 Comments
I am officially finished with my first day of elementary student teaching! I’ll save the reflections on my elementary placement for another entry, though… this entry will focus on my last few weeks at Miami Coral Park Senior HS.
Wind Ensemble Assessment
As I mentioned in my last post, I had the opportunity to conduct the Wind Ensemble in their Concert Band Music Performance Assessment (MPA) at the end of my seventh week at Coral Park. I conducted Sousa’s “The Fairest of the Fair” march, and the band also played Holst’s “Second Suite in F” and Gillingham’s “Council Oak.” The ensemble played extremely well on all pieces, and earned straight “Superior” ratings – enough to qualify them for the state competition later this Spring!
I was thrilled to have had the opportunity to perform with the students; it was an incredible learning experience. Their hard work on the march was evident in their performance, and it was a thrill to see the look on their faces when they found out what ratings they had earned. Here’s a video of the march, from my perspective (any comments/suggestions regarding conducting are welcome!): [Read more...]
STN Week 5: Time Flies!
02/22/11 By 1 Comment
This past week, albeit short (teacher work day on Friday!), was stressful but productive. As hard as it is to believe, I am already more than halfway finished with my first placement at Miami Coral Park Senior HS. It has been a whirlwind month, but I am finally becoming comfortable with what I am doing and establishing a rapport with my students. I am really enjoying my time here, and will definitely miss the experiences and the students when I move to an elementary setting after spring break. Here are a few take-aways from the week: [Read more...]
STN Weeks 1-4: Yikes!
02/15/11 By 1 Comment
The first thing I have learned in my three weeks of student teaching? Keeping up with a blog on the side is difficult when you’re teaching full-time! My apologies for taking so long to get the first true edition of the Student Teachers’ Notebook up on the site, but between a trip to Cincinnati for the TI:ME Conference, a bad head cold as my body refused to adjust to my new sleep schedule, and a LOT of observing, planning, and teaching, I am finally ready to reflect a bit! [Read more...]
STN Special Edition: Day 1 – Ohhhh No!
01/18/11 By 7 Comments
I was planning on waiting until Friday for the first edition of the Student Teachers’ Notebook, but this day was so eventful, I couldn’t wait…
I tried to start my student teaching experience off on the right foot by arriving at my school – Miami Coral Park Senior HS – extra early (you’re on time, you’re late, right??). I ended up arriving even earlier than the band director (my cooperating teacher) normally does. When I called him, he said he was on his way, and I should wait in the parking lot, so I did. While I waited, I turned the engine off in my car, and listened to the radio. After fifteen minutes or so, my cooperating teacher pulled in, and I excitedly went over to introduce myself. I went back to my car to grab my bag, and the day was off! [Read more...]
Follow Along with the Student Teacher’s Notebook
01/17/11 By 3 Comments
As hard as it is to believe I am finally saying this, the time has come. After three and a half years of studying, my Student Teaching internship begins in earnest tomorrow morning. It is an exciting, nerve-wracking, terrifying, and all together hard-to-believe feeling getting ready to embark on this journey, but in the end, I truly can’t wait. There are bound to be some interesting stories, and I have decided that I want to keep you involved every step of the way. For that reason, I am very proud to announce a new series of weekly posts that will go up on MusicEdMajor.net: the Student Teacher’s Notebook. [Read more...]