+ 6 More Tips
#1 Get To Know The Secretaries and Custodians
I taught high school for 13 years. We had an outstanding secretary named Joyce. We became friends. Even after she retired and moved away, I went to visit her and her husband. She set the tone for the entire school culture with her attention to detail, love for staff, and love and concern for the 1100+ students at our school. After her there were others who were not as great. They weren’t welcoming. They did not pay attention to detail. They didn’t seem to want to be there.
Joyce made my life easier! When I didn’t know how to fill out paperwork or didn’t know who to go to for a question, she knew, and she helped. She was the keeper of knowledge, so why not get to know her and be kind to her. Even if you have a so-so secretary, you don’t know what is going on in their lives. Be kind. Be respectful. Buy them coffee.
The custodian keeps your room in top condition. Have you ever seen what a room looks like if the custodian is gone for several days? I taught at a school where we had three on staff, but we were usually looking for 2 and those positions were unfilled. It really made me appreciate the custodians. I would greet each new one and try to find out a little about them (without interrupting their work).
Need an extension cord? I bet the custodian knows where extras are.
Need help moving things? If you’ve been nice and ask nicely, I bet they’ll help.
#2 Play Nice With Other Teachers and Coaches
The number one area I see “competition” in is between the band, orchestra, choir, and guitar teachers. We are working together. We are teaching music. In my experience, when one part of the school’s music program grows, all the parts do. At one school, I was the band teacher, the orchestra teacher, and the guitar teacher. I often had students get introduced to music through guitar who then wanted to join band or orchestra. I even had a piano player in my jazz and marching bands who was a choir student.
The following is a true story with names changed to protect the guilty. I once had a student we’ll call “Sally.” Sally was in marching band but was also failing math. Did I need her to be at our after school practice every day? Yes! I was proactice and reached out to the math teacher and said, “Hey, I notice Sally is failing math. If you need her for tutoring, I fully support that. I don’t want her to march until she gets her grade up in your class.” The teacher became a huge supporter of marching band, the student got her grade up, and all ended well.
Sometimes you have to be more direct…
Some coaches are so passionate about their particular sport that they forget students have other parts to their lives as well. The following is also a real scenario:
Student: Mr. Divine, I won’t be able to make it to our fall concert?
Me: What’s going on?
(I’ve learned the hard way to ask this way to dig deeper before becoming angry or reminding them it counts for their grade – in fact, it has been many years since I have become angry at all)
Student: I’ve got a sports practice that day.
Me: A practice, or a game?
Student: A practice.
Me: I understand. However, doesn’t it seem to you that our concert – which is like a game – should take precedence over a practice?
Student: Yeah, that makes sense; but the coach told us if we miss any practice for any reason, we are off the team.
Me: Let me reach out to the coach and he/she and I will figure this out.
In well over 90% of cases – once I explain to the coach about our “game”(concert) and how it will affect the student’s grade, they understand. And if it’s a game and concert that conflict, which one the student attends will depend. First string varsity player who is one of 27 flutes…probably going to the game. Only tuba player who sits the bench on the C team…probably playing at the concert.
In a couple of cases I have had to go above a coaches head to the athletic director or principle. Once the AD sees how reasonable my expectations are, they have always ruled in my favor. Don’t be like that coach that requires 100% commitment to only their activity. It usually does not create a strong love of music in a young person.
#3 Go Home At The End Of Your Contract Day
Nothings going to happen that you can’t solve tomorrow.
Take school email off your phone! Close your computer at quitting time and leave it at school. Set appropriate time boundaries. I’ve gone into more detail on this in other episodes.
#4 You Don’t Teach Music – You Teach Students
You teach people. You teach people about life. Through music.
Music is a tool, and it’s the most fun tool of all! But it’s not the end all and be all for every single student. You probably landed in music education because it was the thing you loved the most in school. Not every student is going to be like that. Most will not major in music. That’s ok. Most will not become professional players. That’s ok. My hope and dream is that most of them will continue playing throughout their lives. But if they don’t, that’s ok. If they are able to look back on their lives and have some life lessons to carry forward and many great memories, that’s great.
Check out this article: That’s My Orchestra Teacher
#5 Network, network, network
Go to your state conference.
Go to your local conference.
Go (in person) to all-city and all-region meetings.
Meet (and talk to) the people who have booths set-up, even if you’re not interested in their product. Many are retired or former teachers who have a lot of experience.
Have breakfast or coffee with a colleague while at a conference. I don’t get to see some of my friends except at the conference. I often learn more from them in the 30-60 minutes we have together than I do at the sessions.
#6 You’re not going to reach every student every time
You’re not everybody’s savior. I used to beat myself up all the time for failing at this. You do what you can when you can and hope the seeds you plant grow and sprout. It doesn’t mean you stop trying to reach every student, but you develop a mindset that you won’t be able to reach some.
#7 When a student quits, don’t take it personally.
It’s hard. It never gets easier, but you do learn to roll with it.
Yes, evaluate yourself and decide if you could have done something differently, but then move on.
James Divine is a retired music teacher. He still teaches half time at a charter school, spending the other half leading Professional Development and creating curriculum like Jazz From The Start to teach jazz and improv to young students. Get an early edition of his book Almost Everything I’ve Learned About Teaching Band.