12 Standard Questions

From the Wisconsin Education Career Access Network (WECAN)

1. What do you want to accomplish as a teacher?

I want music to be a tool for student expression and healing. My hope is that they use it to put good into this world whenever they can. I want students to be able to understand themselves better through music, and I want them to better understand humanity through music. Music is such a connecting force, and I believe that the more music we create together, the better our world will be for it. I hope that I can help to contribute to this, even in a small approximation. If I can do this, I will consider my teaching career to be work done well.

2. How will (do) you go about finding out about students' attitudes and feelings about your class?

I ask them! I love hearing what kids are thinking in relationship to my class, and a lot of times their ideas are better than mine! I also feel that involving students in the construction of their curriculum engages them and encourages them to be active participants in their education. Doing a temperature check at the beginning of a quarter, or a simple “What did you think about today’s lesson/what do you want to learn more about?” at the end of an exit ticket really goes a long way to helping me gauge attitude and engagement.

3. An experienced teacher offers you the following advice: "When you are teaching, be sure to command the respect of your students immediately and all will go well." How do you feel about this?

I feel that respect is a two-way street. I can't expect my students to respect me if they don’t feel like I respect them. I feel that if you walk into your classroom with a respectful attitude in place, students can sense this and might be more inclined to afford that same respect in return. I do know that if you try to force their respect, it breeds resentment and anger, which is in no way conducive to quality learning. This isn't a Magic Respect Bullet, but I feel that it is a better road to mutual respect than outright authoritarianism.

4. How do you go about deciding what it is that should be taught in your class?

I like exploring music from all angles, including what is going on in the world around us. This fall, I introduced protest music to my 6th grade general music classes, and helped them to draw parallels between music and how it was used in the Civil Rights Movement, compared to the current climate involving the Black Lives Matter movement, Back the Badge, etc. This helped them process what was happening around them, as well as to understand how music can help drive a movement or heal from it, regardless of which side one might be on.

5. A parent comes to you and complains that what you are teaching his child is irrelevant to the child's needs. How would you respond?

Parents know their children, and I think that it's important to hear parents when they speak up for their children. I would use an active listening approach to let the parent know that they are being heard. I would ask them to expand on what they’re feeling about the situation and ask for their input on creative solutions if they feel their child's needs aren't being met adequately. As a parent, I would want a teacher I talk to about my child’s needs to be open and willing to hear me as well, and I want to be sure I extend the same courtesy.

6. What do you think will (does) provide you with the greatest pleasure in teaching?

My students provide my greatest pleasure in teaching. I love watching kids go through the learning process, I love helping them to become better musicians and artists, and I especially love it when they have those “aha!” moments, and then take off running. I understand what that can feel like, and I am so pleased for them when they have those moments. That’s the good stuff.

7. When you have some free time, what do you enjoy doing the most?

I enjoy spending time with my husband and daughter more than just about anything, particularly as it often feels like there just isn’t enough time for it on some days. I also enjoy reading, cooking, and woodworking, and I love it when I have some very precious alone time as it allows me to practice piano or singing (this can never happen enough!).

8. How do you go about finding what students are good at?

I ask! Often, I will ask during a rehearsal or class as it applies to what we’re doing: “Is there anyone in here that’s taking French? You are? Fantastic! Can you help us understand how to pronounce this phrase a little better?” I also like to check in with other teachers about students in my class, especially if I have one who isn’t engaging in a way I’d hope for. What can they tell me about this student that I don’t already know? Can they offer advice as to what might draw a student out based on what they see in their own classrooms?

9. Would you rather try a lot of way-out teaching strategies or would you rather try to perfect the approaches that work best for you? Explain your position.

A little of both. I like the comfort of having tried-and-true strategies, but I also really enjoy discovering what’s out there that’s working for other teachers. I am constantly trying to improve my teaching, and I feel that ignoring new and innovative teaching techniques for the safety of what one knows is short-sighted. Building a foundation of what works well and adding new, well-researched strategies to strengthen that foundation has been a formula that works well for me.

10. Do you like to teach with an overall plan in mind for the year, or would you rather just teach some interesting things and let the process determine the results? Explain your position

Because of the nature of music and its emphasis on concert performances as a major summative assessment, it makes more sense to have things planned out ahead of time. It is easier to teach supplemental lessons such as intervallic ear training, for example, if it can be applied to something we’re doing in a larger work within out our concert repertoire. It’s also easier for me to work, generally speaking, when things are relatively structured.

11. A student is doing poorly in your class. You talk to her, and she tells you that she considers you to be the poorest teacher she has ever met. What would you do?

I would ask her to spell out what is giving her a hard time in class, what doesn’t make sense to her, and try to get to the base of the problem. Ideally working together, we’d try to find a better work around for the issue. I would also check-in with myself: what could I be doing differently that could better reach her in future classes? What sort of tools are out there that can help me do this? How can I communicate better? I'd also make sure everything else in was generally okay with her, just in case this was a symptom of a larger issue.

12. If there were absolutely no restrictions placed upon you, what would you want to do in life?

I’d hop on a plane with my family and travel everywhere, experiencing different cultures, languages, and food. My husband and I would love to show our daughter just how big (and small) our world is. I’d also find a way to be a professional chorister somewhere, ideally in the Chicago Symphony Chorus or something similar. I’d keep studying and get multiple degrees in music, and just generally be a musical nerd all around. I’d keep teaching because I love it, but I’d also try out teaching in a college or university setting.