BS: Back in the (teaching) saddle again...

Subject: BS: Back in the (teaching) saddle again...
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 23 Sep 11 - 03:41 PM

Not exactly non-music, but more appropriate below the line, I think. After a 3-year break from teaching music, personal economic austerity measures have caused me to head back to the music classroom once more. This time I'm only teaching one day a week, for 5 hours, at a small local charter school. I have total freedom to teach what I want, and am starting with almost no supplies, but a 25-year backlog of resources in my head and in my (surprisingly small) files from my past career will guide me. Except for the middle schoolers, who have their own lovely Federal-style building (owned by one of the parents), I'm in an aged trailer, with mould, few windows, and very little room. But they seem happy with me, so I'll make up my mind to make it a great experience for us all!

I've had the kids only once so far- Kindergarten thru grade 8 (or ages 5-13) with several of the grades combined (1st/2nd graders, 3e/4th graders, etc.). As a way of introducing myself, I brought Hunt and his fiddle along, and we gave them a short performance, which seemed to surprise and delight them. I think they will be fine, and fun!

Any advice for my return to the salt mines?

Subject: RE: BS: Back in the (teaching) saddle again...
From: Cats
Date: 23 Sep 11 - 07:36 PM

Make sure you join a good union!

Subject: RE: BS: Back in the (teaching) saddle again...
From: GUEST,999
Date: 23 Sep 11 - 08:33 PM

Ditto Cats. And the best to you.

Subject: RE: BS: Back in the (teaching) saddle again...
From: Rapparee
Date: 23 Sep 11 - 08:35 PM

Remember the other line:

...totin' my old .44...

Subject: RE: BS: Back in the (teaching) saddle again...
From: Bobert
Date: 23 Sep 11 - 09:01 PM

Get rid of the mold... It can make you very sick!!! Really...

Hey, kids like music so keep it fun... If ya' have to beat them up with theory, so be it but let 'um have fun...

BTW, my wife is a retired "Orff" music teacher...

Good luck and carry a big stick...lol


B~

Subject: RE: BS: Back in the (teaching) saddle again...
From: open mike
Date: 23 Sep 11 - 10:28 PM

wee sing has books and recordings for kids music...
i also think i saw a recent thread about a kids book
about elizabeth cotten

good luck!

do you have the Rise up Singing book? there might be some good ideas there...people (and kids) rarely get the chance to sing rounds -0- that would be a great thing to introduce to them...

also if you see any good travelling musicians performing in your area, they might love the chance to do an assembly...if there is a budget...

Subject: RE: BS: Back in the (teaching) saddle again...
From: katlaughing
Date: 23 Sep 11 - 11:41 PM

Dear two ells,

I am using Dragon NaturallySpeaking to write this by voice so please excuse any errors in typing.

I know you will do a great job. Those kids are lucky to have you. I'll bet you will remember much more than you think as you get going. I'll be happy to ask my sister, bet, if she has any suggestions though she has been retired for several years now. She also did not teach middle school so don't know how helpful that might be.

Anyway, as I said, you're going to be great!

L UV Y a K a T

Subject: RE: BS: Back in the (teaching) saddle again...
From: Rapparee
Date: 23 Sep 11 - 11:54 PM

You can buy the Little Red Songbook from the IWW and really annoy parents....

Subject: RE: BS: Back in the (teaching) saddle again...
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 23 Sep 11 - 11:56 PM

"Salt mines" is it? Well don't forget your knout!

Subject: RE: BS: Back in the (teaching) saddle again...
From: Joe Offer
Date: 24 Sep 11 - 01:07 AM

Hi, Allison -
Take a look at the songbooks from World Around Songs. there's a thread on them here (click). I hope you enjoy your new job.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: BS: Back in the (teaching) saddle again...
From: GUEST,ChanteyLass
Date: 24 Sep 11 - 01:22 AM

Congrats on your new job.

My grandson goes to a charter school in another state far from RI. Apparently at each grade level they have wonderful test scores because they only teach what the state tests at that grade level. He completed third grade without having any music, art, PE, science, or social studies. But their reading and math scores are great! At least this is what his mother (my ex-daughter-in-law) tells me.

When I was an elementary school teacher in RI, my students had classes in everything. I worked with some wonderful music and art teachers. I'm glad to read that at least one charter school includes music in its curriculum.

Find out what materials are available at your local public library. In addition to CDs, there are some wonderful picture books available. Open Mike already referred to the one about Elizabeth Cotten. There are books about the London Bridge song, Abiyoyo, All God's Critters, The Marvelous Toy, Inch by Inch (The Garden Song), and more.

Have a great year and let us know how things go for you!

Subject: RE: BS: Back in the (teaching) saddle again...
From: gnu
Date: 24 Sep 11 - 01:38 PM

"But they seem happy with me, so I'll make up my mind to make it a great experience for us all!"

And you ask for advice... I think you are 99.9% of the way there. Have fun!

Subject: RE: BS: Back in the (teaching) saddle again...
From: Mrrzy
Date: 24 Sep 11 - 07:37 PM

Me too, and isn't it GREAT?!??? I *love* teaching. Bully for you. I got ITT Tech quasi-grownups at one end and preschoolers totally immersed in French or Spanish on the other. Having a blast. Tell us more!

Subject: RE: BS: Back in the (teaching) saddle again...
From: SINSULL
Date: 25 Sep 11 - 01:44 PM

Lucky kids, Allison. My music classes consisted of learning the lines and spaces on a Staff and how to draw a G clef. That and religious and show tunes. A nightmare. Our "test" was to get up in front of the class and sing a song. Some poor kids were tone deaf and had to do the same every year in front of less than sympathetic classmates.
I could carry a tune but almost failed one year when instead of a show tune I sang "The Boston Burglar". I was told to get the first train out of Boston and sing a proper tune or fail. I sang "Whenever I Feel Afraid". Don't think the old cow saw through my humor.
In high school, we had a real music room and a nun with a moustache. Draw your own conclusions as to how well that went.
Fortunately, with minimal TV available there was music of all sorts at home.

Subject: RE: BS: Back in the (teaching) saddle again...
From: fat B****rd
Date: 25 Sep 11 - 02:44 PM

What GNU said. Well done and be happy.
Charlie.

Subject: RE: BS: Back in the (teaching) saddle again...
From: GUEST,vectis
Date: 26 Sep 11 - 11:00 AM

Get some bleach in to kill the mould, especially the black moulds, they are really toxic. Have fun.

Outdoor singing and chanting can be fun, if the grounds are large enough, when weather permits.

Enjoy!

Subject: RE: BS: Back in the (teaching) saddle again...
From: Bettynh
Date: 26 Sep 11 - 03:59 PM

I've been thinking about you, Allison. Remembering Girl Scouts, where we learned that singing happens anywhere, and we made the Virginia Reel popular in the schoolyard for awhile (we sang 'The Noble Duke of York' over and over for music). Middle school kids are hard, though. Will you be giving a performance? If they're too shy/worried/teenage to be happy on stage, think of the movie School of Rock. Not for the rock music, but the message that the whole class can be part of the performance of a few "stars." There's publicity, sound, lighting, sets, costumes, accounting, any number of other chores that are part of the whole show.

Subject: RE: BS: Back in the (teaching) saddle again...
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 26 Sep 11 - 04:21 PM

Saw POV on public television last night. Filipine teachers hired, given their work permits, and shipped to Baltimore or similar ghettoized cities to teach Black children in the public schools.

One woman, who, like many of them left husband and children behind, said the salary was 25 times Filipine pay.

They seem to be doing OK with the kids, but I think the program said something about the failing U.S. public education system.

Subject: RE: BS: Back in the (teaching) saddle again...
From: gnu
Date: 26 Sep 11 - 04:25 PM

Bleach... no... laundry soap is fine.

Sister Mary SINS... I sang a tune for sister in one of my first music classes in grade 4 and she called me her little song bird. THAT went over REALLLLLY well on the playground. Agggghhhhh! I had to fight my way out of that one with all of the bullies. Never sang again for years. Refused.

Subject: RE: BS: Back in the (teaching) saddle again...
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 26 Sep 11 - 04:38 PM

Mold- One part disinfectant (like Lysol), 5 parts bleach, 20 parts warm water.

Subject: RE: BS: Back in the (teaching) saddle again...
From: gnu
Date: 26 Sep 11 - 04:48 PM

Go to CMHC and search mold... a snippet...

How to clean up mold problems
•"Small areas" of mold can be cleaned with a detergent solution.
•Wear a mask, safety goggles and rubber gloves.
•Seek professional help if there is a lot of mold or if mold comes back after cleaning.

Bleach is NOT recommended

The presence of organic (humic) materials, the pH (acidity/alkalinity) of the water, the surface material and contact time affect the effectiveness of bleach for disinfection. Since these factors are not generally controlled, bleach cannot be relied upon for disinfection. The most compelling reason for advising against bleach is that fumes are harmful but in addition, overuse of bleach will result in increased releases of chlorinated effluents which can be harmful to the environment.

Subject: RE: BS: Back in the (teaching) saddle again...
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 26 Sep 11 - 05:00 PM

More digression- remedy for mold depends of the site. if it is the usual bathroom, kitchen, countertop, shower stall mold on hard surfaces, bleach is good according to the spore-tech.com site. Other molds, if they have penetrated wood or wallboard, etc., are not destroyed by wiping with bleach, but may need professional removal, or removal of the material.

Subject: RE: BS: Back in the (teaching) saddle again...
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 26 Sep 11 - 05:16 PM

(gnu, my response is based on a personal problem, I am allergic to vinegar. I can't take it in dressings and the undiluted affects my breathing and I must get away from it).

Subject: RE: BS: Back in the (teaching) saddle again...
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 02 Oct 11 - 12:36 PM

Q, believe me, I'm working on the mold issue. I have been able to have all the windows open so far- it may just have been that the trailer was stuffy after not having been opened all summer. So far, so good!

Thanks for all the other words of wisdom. Our second meeting was a classic illustration of my theory: "everyone needs to know where the boundaries are- and will keep testing them until they are certain!". Apparently their last music teacher was a laid-back dude with no classroom management. Things will be different for the little darlings this year (remember, I have 25+ years of doing this!).

Successes from this past week:
~The kindergartners LOVE everything I do. No problem there- they don't have any past programming for me to undo.
~The 5th/6th graders LOVE to sing, and do it well- I had them doing "If I only had a brain" complete with whistling, since they are studying The Human Brain in science.
(BTW, any suggestions of another song that could connect with the brain theme would be gratefully appreciated, esp. if it's in 4/4 time, major key, with a straight (not dotted/bouncy) rhythm, as we are learning about quarter notes and eighth notes this week!). I plan to ease them in to harmony singing over the next few months, but right now we're just singing for fun.
~I'm in love with the 7th/8th graders. They are not easy, but they are interested enough in what I'm throwing at them that they are willing to try. Because there is such a range of musical background, I'm starting with west African-style rhythmic ensembles, with lots of improvisation (not striving for any kind of cultural authenticity, but using listening examples from Babatunde Olatunji to Mickey Hart as inspiration!). Soon they will find themselves singing an African chant ("Aramile") which will hopefully get them willing to sing other things I introduce. Sneaky music teacher is sneaky.

OK, now, off to find a new brain song (or just about anything that fits the meter/rhythm/mode criteria!).

Subject: RE: BS: Back in the (teaching) saddle again...
From: gnu
Date: 02 Oct 11 - 05:06 PM

Sounds like you are having a great time. GOOD on ya! Have fun eh!

Subject: RE: BS: Back in the (teaching) saddle again...
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 03 Oct 11 - 04:55 AM

I worked for a while in a special school for autistic kids, I did a few lessons on Froggy went a couting. Word processer are good. we did one sheet with just the words. Then we added in and coloured a sheet with the ho hums, then we did a sheet adding the clap claps, and aftef that we took turns performing the song. Someone played Uncle rat, someone played froggy and someone the mouse. then we did it a couple times more with a different cast.

Other things with older kids. I did Brenan on the Moor, and Whisky in the Jar and Noyes poem the Highwayman and we did wanted posters for the highwayman.

folksong tells songs faster and with better characterisation than even dvd. Its a pity we don't share it more with kids.