Friday, February 11, 2005

Cynical

On days like today I can completely understand how and why some teachers can loose their passion for teaching. It does become harder and harder to get excited when your students do not. I mean most teachers, educate because they are passionate about their particular subject. Just today I have been trying to make my applied music class more and more interesting. I mean honestly the way it was setup before me is pretty damned boring. The percussion unit is so tedious and frankly boring. So I have tried to inject a few things like today I had the auxiliary percussion and some hand drums and we did a drum circle, which I thought would be fun. The students however seemed bored. Of course so much of this is, "wanting to run before learning to sit up" syndrome. All I keep thinking is I have 4 more weeks of this. No I don't want them to be great musicians but hey if they can have fun in the interim that would be nice. The other thing of having 14 students in a class that was suppose to be cut off at 8 doesn't help either. Last semester I had 6 and that was just perfect my second period class is 5 and that is nice but the large one is so hard to control. It's not like traditional classes where they sit in nice neat rows and listen and interact. These kids have loud percussive instruments that they just want to beat the hell out of. I like then they are all very nice kids but damn!!!

The other bug up my ass today is the theatre director who can make all kinds of demands on these kids times and if you have something that conflicts then too bad just deal with it. Now I have been told not to directly deal with him which I find unacceptable. And if that administration is going to let him bully everyone then shame on them and on him.

I shouldn't bitch too much we had a great rehearsal today for concert band. They actually were very quiet and on task which was nice and refreshing.

And this child putting in a computer next door if he thinks he is getting an office he is sorely mistaken. Oh well.