Last time I blogged, it was around this time last year. Interestingly, the post was largely about what's going on in my life now. In the past, I’ve used blogging to help me work through challenging transitions. The most challenging transition for me, by far, was my first year of teaching. Blogging helped me to organize my thoughts, reflect on my challenges and successes, and make sense of that unusually difficult time in my life. Eventually, things got better and the blogging took a back seat. I’m just about halfway through my fourth (!!) year of teaching, and realized that it’s time to pick it up again.
Next month, my incredible fiancé (!!!!!!!!) and I will move across the country to Washington, D.C. A bit of history: he’s a naval aviator who wanted a more stable set of shore tour orders. I’ve always loved the east coast, and in order to pursue the career I ultimately want, I, too, needed to seriously consider moving out of Hawaii. We love this place and it will always be our first home together. You can bet your dollar that our pets will have Hawaiian names and that we’ll return as often as possible to this special place so that our kids will come to know and love it as we have. That being said, there are many reasons why we want to start a family back east. First of all, great public schools should not be the exception - they should be the norm. Second, the types of jobs we both ultimately want rarely exist in Hawaii. Third, $$$$$$$$$ does not grow on trees. The best solution that we could come up with for our situation was to move to the Washington, D.C. area. Government/military jobs are plentiful, the arts and education are strongly supported, and it is a beautiful, safe, and enriching place to raise a family. I’m sure that most naval aviators and most music educators would not make the same choice that we have. But then again, he is not a typical naval aviator, and I am not a typical music educator. We march to the beat of our own drum, and this works for us.
That’s the exciting part, and BOY are we super excited! This is exactly what we’ve both wanted for a very long time, and we’re jumping with joy that it actually all worked out. The scary part is the uncertainty. He doesn’t know for sure that he will love this job, and I do not know for sure that a PhD program will even consider accepting me. Beyond that, who’s to say that there will even be a job in the area for a newly-minted PhD? Who’s to say that there will be jobs for someone with his credentials? We are taking risks, and that’s scary. But if you don’t pursue the life you want, then what kind of life is that?
I know that in the near future, we will be very happy. We will live in a super fun and safe young neighborhood. We will participate in a ton of races. We will constantly be in Washington, D.C. to enjoy the sights and attractions of one of the neatest cities on earth. We will eat and drink to our hearts’ content, catch the metro back home, and stumble into our trendy apartment. We already have a ton of our very good friends in the area, and are just a drive away from immediate and close family. Our parents and friends will visit often. We will try new activities, meet new people, and have at least three years sans deployments and crazy work hours. It will be awesome!!
But then there are the first 4-6 months where things will be totally new for me. I’m giving up a job I LOVE. Love is an understatement. I have a program of adoring students, parents, colleagues, and administrators that support me to no end and work together to make incredible musical feats a reality. I run the show, contribute to the larger purpose of our community, and walk away every day feeling fulfilled. Life has become grand, and this job is no longer difficult, but a rewarding challenge. In that sense, it’s time to move on; if the job is no longer pushing me out of my comfort zone, then it probably is time for me to step out of my comfort bubble. I have also forgotten what it is like to not be a full-time, salaried employee with a very stable job and an assistant. Let me clarify: my school and principal are AWESOME, and I will still have a job. I will have part-time, remote work supporting the school in a variety of ways, including throughout the reaccreditation process. I will have things to do and Chris and I will not be starving or struggling. I have saved diligently and if I am so lucky, in the fall, will possibly have the opportunity to pursue what I’ve wanted to pursue since junior year of my undergrad: a PhD in music education. We will get married, honeymoon, I’ll finish my MM, and then we’ll both be busy during normal working hours. But for me, not having something meaningful to do during working hours makes me feel uneasy and restless. He had a great solution: volunteer! I don’t need to get rich, but I need to make the world a better place, one person at a time. I’m not fortunate enough to be born into wealth, so if I must work, I feel the need to be a truly productive member of society. Volunteering would fit that bill. I’ve looked for some part-time, flexible work to complement my other commitments. I can’t take on something full-time because we’ll have SO MUCH to do in order to get settled. I’ll also have other work, and don’t want to be doing it on top of full-time work. I also don’t want to look for a long-term job, as my goal is to immediately pursue further education. I’m trying to balance keeping busy and bringing in a little more income with staying flexible enough to get settled in a new area. If there is one thing I learned from going through the move on this end, it’s that preparing to move (or unpack) as a military significant other is a full time job. I already feel like I’m not getting anything done outside of work here, and can’t imagine trying to get settled in our new location with a new job on my plate that I plan to quit in a couple short months WHILE TRYING TO GET MARRIED AHHHHHH.
So yeah, that’s my dilemma. I think in the mean time, I need to work at being flexible and patient. I’ll begin looking for volunteer opportunities and will do my best to remember all of the exciting things ahead in the midst of all of the sad and difficult things left to do here. Transitions are challenging for me, but this will be the gateway to the life that we want to build together. Here goes nothing!
Showing posts with label new job. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new job. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Friday, August 17, 2012
Some Nights
It seems that the better part of a month has come and gone since my last post. Let's play catch-up:
Parents left to help my west coast grandma move to the east coast
Friends left. :(
Lonely Dana.
Busy Dana. BUSY BUSY BUSY.
General music. Third and fifth grade classes are stinkin' adorable.
Honors Literature gets rollin'. Did I mention that this is my favorite class, yet it has little to do with music? Last week, we compared Fun.'s Some Nights to The Chocolate War. Amazing!
Recruitment! Play instrument demos in every general music class for a week. Everyone seems to want to join band or orchestra.
Inventory what's in the closet (yes, I don't quite have a classroom - I operate out of the school's large assembly hall. We keep our music supplies in a large closet. The closet is insanely packed until rented instruments go out to students.)
Make some great finds - killer Orff instruments, fifty-plus band and orchestra instruments in pretty good shape for a small school. Not bad!
Made a database on Bento, a product by FileMaker. Looks pretty, but very time consuming.
Start practicing piano like a mofo. Goal: play the mass for our next school mass, in less than a month. This includes the holy, memorial acclimation, doxology, great amen, yes lord, alleluia, lamb of God. Practice everyday, slowly, hands separately, hands together, working from the end to the beginning. Practicing like I'm a beginner again (cause I am), without preconceived notions like "I should just be able to do this already," and "this is taking too long." it comes back. Bit by bit, I speed up. I can play the piano again! Hiccups here and there. Go back to a slower speed. Practice more. I forgot how much I enjoyed the piano. Can't wait to begin lessons. :)
Work with some students for a small performance at a weekend event celebrating the Parish's 50th anniversary. They did great! Very proud of them.
Mom and dad are back. Hooray! No more waking up at 4am to feed the cat (she is nearly 17, so we spoil her and feed her when she likes to be fed...several times a day, beginning at 4am).
Keeping up a house is hard work. Remind me to not buy a large house, ever.
Still have not thanked people on Facebook for the birthday wishes...this upcoming weekend, I promise!
Rental forms went out. Not many came back. I thought that for sure, we would recruit more than we had instruments for. I guess it's easy to be interested, but when forms go home, a commitment has to be made, and payment must come in, it's a different story.
Up until this point, it's been hunky-dory. I've had no complaints whatsoever. Everything was playing out according to the plans that I create in the wildest parts of my imagination.
Don't get me wrong, things are good. I love my new job more than I ever could've imagined when I signed the contract. Living at home is great. I'm saving money. Beginning to work out again - finally. Becoming a pianist more and more each day. About to begin practicing horn again. I guess, for the first time, I hit a wall, and it was perhaps the first bit of frustration I've felt in several months.
Let me explain. Starting a new job isn't easy. It takes a while, but it seems that everywhere I go, I meet amazing people, find my niche, and have no problem loving and being loved. Teaching summer school was easy because I had worked there as an aide for three summers. I did run into some trouble starting the glee class because we almost didn't get enough students to run the class, and we did not nearly get enough students to even offer a middle school version. I think it's safe to say that the concert and the happiness and success experienced by the students will fix that issue next year. I have faith that next year, glee will run, and with no shortage of students. I think that I need to work really hard this year so that the same thing happens next year with band and orchestra. Being a young, new teacher doesn't even come close to the loyalty the students have to their favorite teachers. At the first day welcome back assembly, I noticed that the veteran teachers were cheered for, celebrated, and welcomed eagerly by students. Again, I'm not in this profession for an ego boost - I have friends who mean more to me than I could ever tell them, and that's enough - but let's just say that I noticed that I was new. Just like going away to college was a difficult, homesick transition for me, the transition into being a full time teacher will take a while. It won't be overnight, but I have faith that one day, I'm going to wake up and not feel like the new teacher anymore. Things will feel like home.
“One never reaches home,' she said. 'But where paths that have an affinity for each other intersect, the whole world looks like home, for a time.” - Hermann Hesse, Demian
Before that can happen, I have to pay my dues.
It took a week or two, but it was really nice to have several teachers come up to me and tell me that either they have been impressed thus far, or that their students' parents have been emailing them, saying that their kids came home, excited about their new music teacher. In a world where what we do has to please students, parents, colleagues, administrators, and ourselves, that was a huge, welcomed sigh of relief. Now, kids say "hi" to me on the playground, which is really cool! I've seen a number of my students at Starbucks, or simply around Kailua, and they are all really friendly and stop to chat for a bit. I think things are a little less lonely in that sense, although every now and then, I realize that I'm not in college anymore, and long for carefree nights filled with baked goods and duck farts. For example, today begins a four day weekend. I woke up not knowing what to do with myself. Since I'm back home, I obviously know people and have friends, but I don't have that trusty ol' group of bffs like I did in Ithaca. There could never be a dull moment living in 18-07, and to be honest, I long for that. I nipped some boredom in the bud the other day by getting shave ice with my parents after work, but there comes a time when I'm all caught up on work and am ready for a break, and I don't have any live-in friends with whom I can bake some cookies or watch big bang theory and eat delivery. I'm sure that this will all settle into place before I know it, but for now, I'm beginning to notice that things are different.
On the other hand, I am both living and working in my hometown. I was worried about this, because I thought I would feel trapped and bored, like I've Met my lifetime quota for living in Kailua. However, it feels totally different. For one, I feel like I'm on display - if I jaywalk or run across a crosswalk at the last minute, or make an asshole move in traffic, one of my students, co-workers, or students’ parents could easily witness this. This has caused me to be even more scrupulous than I usually am, and I kind of like it. It seems like everytime I go out, I do run into a student. Also, riding the bus has been great - I never really appreciated Hawaii's bus system. I've so far been able to finagle it so that I get on a bus and get dropped off across the street from my house. Pretty convenient, huh? There's no need to get a car right away, and I'm enjoying riding my bike when the weather is nice (95% of the time).
This has been a disgusting mass of information to make up for my lack of blogging, but hopefully it allows the 2-3 readers I have a glimpse into what's been going on. I'll end with a few announcements:
Just made my first student loan payment - it was automatically debited from my account. Yay?
Those who have recently obtained jobs and might be feeling a little lonely or overwhelmed, as I am sometimes feeling - let's keep in touch, stick together, and share our experiences. I am very, very fortunate to be working side-by-side with my former music teacher, who is helping me make the transition into the profession as she makes her transition into retirement. I haven't been too lonely, but on the days when she isn't there, I can see how this would be a lonely, tiring, and demanding job. Don't get me wrong - it's been tremendously rewarding and stimulating, even thus far - it's just that we were just big fish in a medium-sized pond, and we are now little fish, regardless of the size of the pond. We're at the bottom of the pay scale - the first to go in the event of budget cuts, the newest, youngest faculty members. It's quite a transition, but thankfully we have each other. Here's to a great first year! Don't be afraid to pick up the phone and call after a long, trying day.
My students are teaching me more than they realize; I'm feeling totally stimulated and artistically fulfilled preparing lessons for them and seeing them make important connections. This is especially true in the literature class. It's a little harder to see in general music right now, since most of what we are doing is preparing for our upcoming school mass, but improvising with the pentatonic scale with eighth grade last week was pretty neat. Hopefully band and orchestra provide even more of a creative outlet to all involved. I can see how one day, I might choose to specialize a little more, but for now, this jack of all trades (master of none) deal is pretty fun.
Finally - thanks to being year round, I have a two week fall and spring break (and a three week winter break, but I'm probably staying home for that). My parents have travel vouchers to use, and I want to visit friends, so I'm thinking that I'm going to spend a couple days in SF, a day in East Lansing, several days in NYC, a few days in Maryland to visit family, and a few days in Ithaca to see old friends and have some fun. Let me know if you'll be around - let's meet up, and thank you, Catholic Schools, for the sick-nasty break, even if it means a short summer! Yahooooooooo!
Parents left to help my west coast grandma move to the east coast
Friends left. :(
Lonely Dana.
Busy Dana. BUSY BUSY BUSY.
General music. Third and fifth grade classes are stinkin' adorable.
Honors Literature gets rollin'. Did I mention that this is my favorite class, yet it has little to do with music? Last week, we compared Fun.'s Some Nights to The Chocolate War. Amazing!
Recruitment! Play instrument demos in every general music class for a week. Everyone seems to want to join band or orchestra.
Inventory what's in the closet (yes, I don't quite have a classroom - I operate out of the school's large assembly hall. We keep our music supplies in a large closet. The closet is insanely packed until rented instruments go out to students.)
Make some great finds - killer Orff instruments, fifty-plus band and orchestra instruments in pretty good shape for a small school. Not bad!
Made a database on Bento, a product by FileMaker. Looks pretty, but very time consuming.
Start practicing piano like a mofo. Goal: play the mass for our next school mass, in less than a month. This includes the holy, memorial acclimation, doxology, great amen, yes lord, alleluia, lamb of God. Practice everyday, slowly, hands separately, hands together, working from the end to the beginning. Practicing like I'm a beginner again (cause I am), without preconceived notions like "I should just be able to do this already," and "this is taking too long." it comes back. Bit by bit, I speed up. I can play the piano again! Hiccups here and there. Go back to a slower speed. Practice more. I forgot how much I enjoyed the piano. Can't wait to begin lessons. :)
Work with some students for a small performance at a weekend event celebrating the Parish's 50th anniversary. They did great! Very proud of them.
Mom and dad are back. Hooray! No more waking up at 4am to feed the cat (she is nearly 17, so we spoil her and feed her when she likes to be fed...several times a day, beginning at 4am).
Keeping up a house is hard work. Remind me to not buy a large house, ever.
Still have not thanked people on Facebook for the birthday wishes...this upcoming weekend, I promise!
Rental forms went out. Not many came back. I thought that for sure, we would recruit more than we had instruments for. I guess it's easy to be interested, but when forms go home, a commitment has to be made, and payment must come in, it's a different story.
Up until this point, it's been hunky-dory. I've had no complaints whatsoever. Everything was playing out according to the plans that I create in the wildest parts of my imagination.
Don't get me wrong, things are good. I love my new job more than I ever could've imagined when I signed the contract. Living at home is great. I'm saving money. Beginning to work out again - finally. Becoming a pianist more and more each day. About to begin practicing horn again. I guess, for the first time, I hit a wall, and it was perhaps the first bit of frustration I've felt in several months.
Let me explain. Starting a new job isn't easy. It takes a while, but it seems that everywhere I go, I meet amazing people, find my niche, and have no problem loving and being loved. Teaching summer school was easy because I had worked there as an aide for three summers. I did run into some trouble starting the glee class because we almost didn't get enough students to run the class, and we did not nearly get enough students to even offer a middle school version. I think it's safe to say that the concert and the happiness and success experienced by the students will fix that issue next year. I have faith that next year, glee will run, and with no shortage of students. I think that I need to work really hard this year so that the same thing happens next year with band and orchestra. Being a young, new teacher doesn't even come close to the loyalty the students have to their favorite teachers. At the first day welcome back assembly, I noticed that the veteran teachers were cheered for, celebrated, and welcomed eagerly by students. Again, I'm not in this profession for an ego boost - I have friends who mean more to me than I could ever tell them, and that's enough - but let's just say that I noticed that I was new. Just like going away to college was a difficult, homesick transition for me, the transition into being a full time teacher will take a while. It won't be overnight, but I have faith that one day, I'm going to wake up and not feel like the new teacher anymore. Things will feel like home.
“One never reaches home,' she said. 'But where paths that have an affinity for each other intersect, the whole world looks like home, for a time.” - Hermann Hesse, Demian
Before that can happen, I have to pay my dues.
It took a week or two, but it was really nice to have several teachers come up to me and tell me that either they have been impressed thus far, or that their students' parents have been emailing them, saying that their kids came home, excited about their new music teacher. In a world where what we do has to please students, parents, colleagues, administrators, and ourselves, that was a huge, welcomed sigh of relief. Now, kids say "hi" to me on the playground, which is really cool! I've seen a number of my students at Starbucks, or simply around Kailua, and they are all really friendly and stop to chat for a bit. I think things are a little less lonely in that sense, although every now and then, I realize that I'm not in college anymore, and long for carefree nights filled with baked goods and duck farts. For example, today begins a four day weekend. I woke up not knowing what to do with myself. Since I'm back home, I obviously know people and have friends, but I don't have that trusty ol' group of bffs like I did in Ithaca. There could never be a dull moment living in 18-07, and to be honest, I long for that. I nipped some boredom in the bud the other day by getting shave ice with my parents after work, but there comes a time when I'm all caught up on work and am ready for a break, and I don't have any live-in friends with whom I can bake some cookies or watch big bang theory and eat delivery. I'm sure that this will all settle into place before I know it, but for now, I'm beginning to notice that things are different.
On the other hand, I am both living and working in my hometown. I was worried about this, because I thought I would feel trapped and bored, like I've Met my lifetime quota for living in Kailua. However, it feels totally different. For one, I feel like I'm on display - if I jaywalk or run across a crosswalk at the last minute, or make an asshole move in traffic, one of my students, co-workers, or students’ parents could easily witness this. This has caused me to be even more scrupulous than I usually am, and I kind of like it. It seems like everytime I go out, I do run into a student. Also, riding the bus has been great - I never really appreciated Hawaii's bus system. I've so far been able to finagle it so that I get on a bus and get dropped off across the street from my house. Pretty convenient, huh? There's no need to get a car right away, and I'm enjoying riding my bike when the weather is nice (95% of the time).
This has been a disgusting mass of information to make up for my lack of blogging, but hopefully it allows the 2-3 readers I have a glimpse into what's been going on. I'll end with a few announcements:
Just made my first student loan payment - it was automatically debited from my account. Yay?
Those who have recently obtained jobs and might be feeling a little lonely or overwhelmed, as I am sometimes feeling - let's keep in touch, stick together, and share our experiences. I am very, very fortunate to be working side-by-side with my former music teacher, who is helping me make the transition into the profession as she makes her transition into retirement. I haven't been too lonely, but on the days when she isn't there, I can see how this would be a lonely, tiring, and demanding job. Don't get me wrong - it's been tremendously rewarding and stimulating, even thus far - it's just that we were just big fish in a medium-sized pond, and we are now little fish, regardless of the size of the pond. We're at the bottom of the pay scale - the first to go in the event of budget cuts, the newest, youngest faculty members. It's quite a transition, but thankfully we have each other. Here's to a great first year! Don't be afraid to pick up the phone and call after a long, trying day.
My students are teaching me more than they realize; I'm feeling totally stimulated and artistically fulfilled preparing lessons for them and seeing them make important connections. This is especially true in the literature class. It's a little harder to see in general music right now, since most of what we are doing is preparing for our upcoming school mass, but improvising with the pentatonic scale with eighth grade last week was pretty neat. Hopefully band and orchestra provide even more of a creative outlet to all involved. I can see how one day, I might choose to specialize a little more, but for now, this jack of all trades (master of none) deal is pretty fun.
Finally - thanks to being year round, I have a two week fall and spring break (and a three week winter break, but I'm probably staying home for that). My parents have travel vouchers to use, and I want to visit friends, so I'm thinking that I'm going to spend a couple days in SF, a day in East Lansing, several days in NYC, a few days in Maryland to visit family, and a few days in Ithaca to see old friends and have some fun. Let me know if you'll be around - let's meet up, and thank you, Catholic Schools, for the sick-nasty break, even if it means a short summer! Yahooooooooo!
Friday, July 27, 2012
Fly, Blackbird, Fly
Holy stinkin' cow, I don't even know where to begin!
We wrapped up Glee last week with one hell of a performance! The girls and boy totally owned it and seriously brought tears to my eyes. More rewarding than a successful performance was the parents who came up to me after to let me know how much more confident their child has become, or that they looked forward to getting out of bed in the morning. Remember the boy? He rocked his solo, and his mom called to say thank you, because he found his niche. It doesn't get much better than that, folks! And for me, I couldn't be more proud of them, and more relieved that my first experience teaching music "alone" was this encouraging and successful. And hey, we even made it onto the news for a hot second!
Backtrack two days. My friends arrived!! The last week and a half has been a blur, in the best way possible. We have done so much and had such a great time. We celebrated my birthday in Waikiki last weekend, and boy, was it fun! I have to admit, this timing, though not intentional, is both exciting and crazy. Come Monday morning, after a birthday weekend in Waikiki with them and after Glee, it was...
...dun dun dun, time to begin my new job! With Monday came my first teacher work day. Several of my new colleagues are familiar faces, because they were the very teachers who inspired me several years ago at this very same school. They're a fun bunch! Everyone was so welcoming, and I instantly felt the sense of community that is so present amongst the faculty. There are pros and cons to working in an independent school, but that instant sense of support immediately made up for any cons that one might associate with not teaching in the public school system.
Monday and Tuesday were inservice work days. I learned so much, so quickly, and honestly enjoyed myself! I can't believe how hilarious all of these amazing people are! BTW, for any Lambdas out there, the meetings were JUST LIKE LAMBDA WEEKLY MEETINGS. Hilarious! I loved it. :)
Amidst this huge life change, I've been playing hostess. I'm so glad that my three homies are totally capable of getting around and enjoying themselves without me, cause there are definitely things I've had to get done on my own as I begin my new career. Thankfully, this weekend will bring plenty of time for fun.
Wednesday was our first day of school, although I didn't do any teaching. I met some awesome students, played some guitar, etc. Thursday was my first day of teaching, but due to my part time schedule, all I had to do was teach the first class of my Honors Literature class. I was floored - those students are really special young men and women. They are exceptionally bright, good humored, and very eager. I'm REALLY excited for that class! They were excited about weekly quotes, our literature, and reading more than required. I seriously can't wait. :)
We had mass this morning. I haven't started playing piano or anything yet, but I did play a slack key offering during communion. I am going to start private piano study, and am about to dive head-first into the world of musical ministry, which seems like it might be my most time-consuming, interesting, and important role at the school. I am really excited for this! The church is so beautiful, the mass is beautiful, and I am honored to be able to work toward this important task.
Finally, we had 8th grade general music today. It was a rowdy bunch, but super fun. I assigned homework - probably a first for them in music class, but I'm hoping they will like the assignment. As far as band and orchestra go, we begin demonstrations in general music class next week, and I'll offer recruitment days and instrument "fitting" throughout that week and the next. Once I can see our demand, I can figure out the instrument situation. We certainly have a solid amount for a small school, but I will most likely need to contact local music stores about rentals. Then, in week 4, we begin band! (week 4 for us is mid-August - still earlier than public schools in New York for reference).
For now, I need to buy some mouthpiece disinfectant, refine previously-used demonstration plans, brush up on my string knowledge, and come Tuesday night, answer lots of Facebook happy birthday posts. As soon as everyone leaves, I will be very sad and lonely, but the bulk of my work will begin. Until then, happy Aloha Friday!
DA
We wrapped up Glee last week with one hell of a performance! The girls and boy totally owned it and seriously brought tears to my eyes. More rewarding than a successful performance was the parents who came up to me after to let me know how much more confident their child has become, or that they looked forward to getting out of bed in the morning. Remember the boy? He rocked his solo, and his mom called to say thank you, because he found his niche. It doesn't get much better than that, folks! And for me, I couldn't be more proud of them, and more relieved that my first experience teaching music "alone" was this encouraging and successful. And hey, we even made it onto the news for a hot second!
Backtrack two days. My friends arrived!! The last week and a half has been a blur, in the best way possible. We have done so much and had such a great time. We celebrated my birthday in Waikiki last weekend, and boy, was it fun! I have to admit, this timing, though not intentional, is both exciting and crazy. Come Monday morning, after a birthday weekend in Waikiki with them and after Glee, it was...
...dun dun dun, time to begin my new job! With Monday came my first teacher work day. Several of my new colleagues are familiar faces, because they were the very teachers who inspired me several years ago at this very same school. They're a fun bunch! Everyone was so welcoming, and I instantly felt the sense of community that is so present amongst the faculty. There are pros and cons to working in an independent school, but that instant sense of support immediately made up for any cons that one might associate with not teaching in the public school system.
Monday and Tuesday were inservice work days. I learned so much, so quickly, and honestly enjoyed myself! I can't believe how hilarious all of these amazing people are! BTW, for any Lambdas out there, the meetings were JUST LIKE LAMBDA WEEKLY MEETINGS. Hilarious! I loved it. :)
Amidst this huge life change, I've been playing hostess. I'm so glad that my three homies are totally capable of getting around and enjoying themselves without me, cause there are definitely things I've had to get done on my own as I begin my new career. Thankfully, this weekend will bring plenty of time for fun.
Wednesday was our first day of school, although I didn't do any teaching. I met some awesome students, played some guitar, etc. Thursday was my first day of teaching, but due to my part time schedule, all I had to do was teach the first class of my Honors Literature class. I was floored - those students are really special young men and women. They are exceptionally bright, good humored, and very eager. I'm REALLY excited for that class! They were excited about weekly quotes, our literature, and reading more than required. I seriously can't wait. :)
We had mass this morning. I haven't started playing piano or anything yet, but I did play a slack key offering during communion. I am going to start private piano study, and am about to dive head-first into the world of musical ministry, which seems like it might be my most time-consuming, interesting, and important role at the school. I am really excited for this! The church is so beautiful, the mass is beautiful, and I am honored to be able to work toward this important task.
Finally, we had 8th grade general music today. It was a rowdy bunch, but super fun. I assigned homework - probably a first for them in music class, but I'm hoping they will like the assignment. As far as band and orchestra go, we begin demonstrations in general music class next week, and I'll offer recruitment days and instrument "fitting" throughout that week and the next. Once I can see our demand, I can figure out the instrument situation. We certainly have a solid amount for a small school, but I will most likely need to contact local music stores about rentals. Then, in week 4, we begin band! (week 4 for us is mid-August - still earlier than public schools in New York for reference).
For now, I need to buy some mouthpiece disinfectant, refine previously-used demonstration plans, brush up on my string knowledge, and come Tuesday night, answer lots of Facebook happy birthday posts. As soon as everyone leaves, I will be very sad and lonely, but the bulk of my work will begin. Until then, happy Aloha Friday!
DA
Friday, July 13, 2012
When we were young, and full of life, and full of love
It's been a while since my last post. I actually had a draft in the works, full of complaints about the cost of being an adult. I was going to chronicle the woes of paying for my own work physical because it's not covered by insurance, buying a bus pass, blah blah blah. Instead, I have a better idea for a post. Here goes.
Yesterday, I was reminded of the transformative power of music. Obviously, I've experienced this power myself, or I wouldn't have majored in music education. That being said, it is easy to lose perspective. Long story short, there is a kid at summer school who is a little rambunctious. To say he has had some behavioral issues would be an understatement. All in all, though, he's a sweet kid, and my friends and I can easily see through to the good in him, knowing full well that the other kids he gets tangled up with aren't little saints either. The other day at recess, he came into my room while I was playing piano, along with his friends (in my class) who were showing me some posters they made for our upcoming concert. He seemed very interested in what was going on in the room, so I asked him why he didn't join our class. He is older than this group of students (all girls!), but a middle school section of the course WAS offered, but didn't run due to low enrollment.
Anyway, our principal came into the room five or ten minutes into rehearsal, saying she needed to talk to us now. I was like huhhhhh? Now?! In the middle of rehearsal? What could possibly be so important?! It turns out that this student was sick of his other classes and wanted to join Glee. NOW. This second. We briefly discussed it, and we're in favor of it. Of course, there's no way we could teach him six weeks worth of music and choreopgraphy in the week before our performance (eek!), but he could certainly learn a dance or two, and participate in other ways. All of a sudden, we had a slightly older boy coming into this class of 12 girls. We quickly informed them of the change, reacquainted everyone with the expectations and classroom procedures, and kept moving.
In short, he did great. He picked up the thriller dance way quicker than the girls did the previous day, and the girls were all super helpful and were very supportive. He is reluctant to sing, but has a beautiful voice. He is shy - it's tough to be the only boy in a show choir class full of girls, but he held his own, caught up, and contributed to the ensemble. After he danced to Thriller with music for the first time, he was beaming. When we asked him how it was, his response was simple: "exciting". After class, he told me he is so glad that he switched. Apparently his face also lit up when my friend spoke with him about joining glee and learning dances. Also, behavioral issues, at least so far, cease to exist. If that's not why we do this, then I don't know what is. Today he was a little reluctant with the singing, but so I pushed him a bit, but I think that I just need to build up his confidence more. He's a great kid, and for the rest of our short time together, I'm going to focus on encouraging him to the ends of the earth and back. It's obvious that he just needs someone to tell him he is capable, and to encourage him to try something new. Pretty cool, no?
So far, I've been mostly concerned with getting the glee girls to perform to the best of their abililities (which is quite good). This reminds me that while that is important, other things are equally important. Mastering musical skills and concepts is what we're after, but that's not the whole package.
In other news, I've been a little nervous about starting my year-round job in ALMOST ONE WEEK, but after meeting today with my co-worker (and former music teacher) and the principal, I'm feeling a lot less overwhelmed. I'm definitely teaching literature, but apparently my math teaching is more to supplement the program, not a requirement for me to get my hours. So, I might end up team-teaching, just helping out, or even not teaching it at all. I said that of course, I'm willing to help out, but if possible, I don't want to teach it solo. We also worked around the schedule, and it looks like I'll be working with 5th and 8th grade general music, and two levels of band and orchestra. Right now, the ensembles only meet twice a week, if that. I'm going to work a schedule to see if we can get four rehearsals per week and sectionals in. Also, a form of pull-out lessons, if that's possible, is another thing I'd like to add. My co-worker was concerned about me giving up half an hour after school for rehearsals since I should be home by noon everyday, but I realized that I don't care about the time loss. I care about these kids feeling confident playing their instruments because they have enough time to build good habits. One hour a week is not cutting it, and I would give up all of my free time if it meant that we can invest in the program and they can have a successful experience. It hit me - my heart is in this, and I love it. I seriously can't wait.
I also learned that most of my responsibilities will involve preparing for the monthly mass. I need to prepare students for their annual school mass choral performances, prepare the responsorial psalms, the liturgical band, teach all students the songs the congregation will be singing, and be able to play the mass and accompany the congregation on piano. It's a lot, but I'm excited to learn it. I think to that end, I'll begin private piano study in August and really work for a year or two to build my chops up. I'm seriously so excited, cause I love playing piano, and I want to get better! I am also eager to learn more about the catholic mass so that I can choose appropriate songs. I'm really excited to learn to play the mass (the composer wrote it with a Hawaiian flare, and it seriously rocks!), and to get my chops up enough to accompany everyone. It's a lot, but I'm so excited, and so, so ready.
After our meeting, I walked the one block to the nearby Starbucks. Hellz yeah. So happy. Also, the school campus has come a long way since I was a student there - it's looking awesome, and I just love how friendly everyone is!
This weekend is going to be full for me - cleaning/preparing for the arrival of my pals on Tuesday, finishing up several misc. tasks, beginning to plan and schedule for the school year, and starting to pull together some items for our glee concert. Busy? You bet. Fun? Hellz yeah. Catch me on the flip side and I'll tell ya how it went!
DA
Yesterday, I was reminded of the transformative power of music. Obviously, I've experienced this power myself, or I wouldn't have majored in music education. That being said, it is easy to lose perspective. Long story short, there is a kid at summer school who is a little rambunctious. To say he has had some behavioral issues would be an understatement. All in all, though, he's a sweet kid, and my friends and I can easily see through to the good in him, knowing full well that the other kids he gets tangled up with aren't little saints either. The other day at recess, he came into my room while I was playing piano, along with his friends (in my class) who were showing me some posters they made for our upcoming concert. He seemed very interested in what was going on in the room, so I asked him why he didn't join our class. He is older than this group of students (all girls!), but a middle school section of the course WAS offered, but didn't run due to low enrollment.
Anyway, our principal came into the room five or ten minutes into rehearsal, saying she needed to talk to us now. I was like huhhhhh? Now?! In the middle of rehearsal? What could possibly be so important?! It turns out that this student was sick of his other classes and wanted to join Glee. NOW. This second. We briefly discussed it, and we're in favor of it. Of course, there's no way we could teach him six weeks worth of music and choreopgraphy in the week before our performance (eek!), but he could certainly learn a dance or two, and participate in other ways. All of a sudden, we had a slightly older boy coming into this class of 12 girls. We quickly informed them of the change, reacquainted everyone with the expectations and classroom procedures, and kept moving.
In short, he did great. He picked up the thriller dance way quicker than the girls did the previous day, and the girls were all super helpful and were very supportive. He is reluctant to sing, but has a beautiful voice. He is shy - it's tough to be the only boy in a show choir class full of girls, but he held his own, caught up, and contributed to the ensemble. After he danced to Thriller with music for the first time, he was beaming. When we asked him how it was, his response was simple: "exciting". After class, he told me he is so glad that he switched. Apparently his face also lit up when my friend spoke with him about joining glee and learning dances. Also, behavioral issues, at least so far, cease to exist. If that's not why we do this, then I don't know what is. Today he was a little reluctant with the singing, but so I pushed him a bit, but I think that I just need to build up his confidence more. He's a great kid, and for the rest of our short time together, I'm going to focus on encouraging him to the ends of the earth and back. It's obvious that he just needs someone to tell him he is capable, and to encourage him to try something new. Pretty cool, no?
So far, I've been mostly concerned with getting the glee girls to perform to the best of their abililities (which is quite good). This reminds me that while that is important, other things are equally important. Mastering musical skills and concepts is what we're after, but that's not the whole package.
In other news, I've been a little nervous about starting my year-round job in ALMOST ONE WEEK, but after meeting today with my co-worker (and former music teacher) and the principal, I'm feeling a lot less overwhelmed. I'm definitely teaching literature, but apparently my math teaching is more to supplement the program, not a requirement for me to get my hours. So, I might end up team-teaching, just helping out, or even not teaching it at all. I said that of course, I'm willing to help out, but if possible, I don't want to teach it solo. We also worked around the schedule, and it looks like I'll be working with 5th and 8th grade general music, and two levels of band and orchestra. Right now, the ensembles only meet twice a week, if that. I'm going to work a schedule to see if we can get four rehearsals per week and sectionals in. Also, a form of pull-out lessons, if that's possible, is another thing I'd like to add. My co-worker was concerned about me giving up half an hour after school for rehearsals since I should be home by noon everyday, but I realized that I don't care about the time loss. I care about these kids feeling confident playing their instruments because they have enough time to build good habits. One hour a week is not cutting it, and I would give up all of my free time if it meant that we can invest in the program and they can have a successful experience. It hit me - my heart is in this, and I love it. I seriously can't wait.
I also learned that most of my responsibilities will involve preparing for the monthly mass. I need to prepare students for their annual school mass choral performances, prepare the responsorial psalms, the liturgical band, teach all students the songs the congregation will be singing, and be able to play the mass and accompany the congregation on piano. It's a lot, but I'm excited to learn it. I think to that end, I'll begin private piano study in August and really work for a year or two to build my chops up. I'm seriously so excited, cause I love playing piano, and I want to get better! I am also eager to learn more about the catholic mass so that I can choose appropriate songs. I'm really excited to learn to play the mass (the composer wrote it with a Hawaiian flare, and it seriously rocks!), and to get my chops up enough to accompany everyone. It's a lot, but I'm so excited, and so, so ready.
After our meeting, I walked the one block to the nearby Starbucks. Hellz yeah. So happy. Also, the school campus has come a long way since I was a student there - it's looking awesome, and I just love how friendly everyone is!
This weekend is going to be full for me - cleaning/preparing for the arrival of my pals on Tuesday, finishing up several misc. tasks, beginning to plan and schedule for the school year, and starting to pull together some items for our glee concert. Busy? You bet. Fun? Hellz yeah. Catch me on the flip side and I'll tell ya how it went!
DA
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