Second Year Struggles

Here it is... the point that I always reach in my "blogging." The part where my best intentions, greatest inspirations, and time management all fall short of my dreams for a successful and up to date blog. It's been over six months since I last posted, and since I last told myself "this time I won't stop."

So much has changed since my last post, and so much as remained the same - in ways that I can count myself extremely blessed. My job has remained full-time, my husband had a successful kidney transplant over the summer, and I truly still love teaching. Each day I get up and look forward to sharing my passion with the future leaders and musicians of the world. I have felt more assured in my abilities to manage, execute, and write lesson plans, and have even had some other teachers borrow and implement lessons that I came up with!

I think I came into year two of teaching with much higher expectations. One of those expectations was that I would be able to re-use my lesson plans all the time; however, I have found more often than not that my lesson plans from last year show just how little I knew at the beginning of the year, and how much I have grown as a teacher since then. I am now re-writing lessons, planning more coherent units, and generally structuring my year in an entirely different way. I'm still expending as much time and energy as I did in year one, only this year, I don't have as much "fight or flight" adrenaline, and find myself without energy more often than not.

So here's my resolution for the rest of this school year. Not to resume blogging with intense fervor and a regimented schedule - but not to beat myself up when I don't meet my own expectations. I'm focusing my time and effort on my students, and sharing my ideas with the music teachers in my district... the rest of the world can wait.

Reading Rocks

Yes, my classes are only 30 minutes. 

Yes, I teach music.

Yes, the students have designated reading time in the library and in their classrooms. 

Yes, I use children's literature in my music classes - a lot.

     In college, I was required to take a class called "Reading Across the Content Areas." Admittedly, I went into the class with a bad attitude. As with many aspects of teaching, I we so sure that I knew how things would go and what I would do, even before I had finished up my classes. 

As per usual, I was wrong, and am once again humbled by how much I have to learn.

     In this class, we looked at different ways to incorporate literature - both through read aloud, non-fiction journals and articles, and take home projects. I enjoyed the class immensely, but still left feeling like I wasn't really going to use what I had learned in my music classroom. I love to read, but at the time it seemed impractical to take up my music time with something other than music.

     Which brings me to the fact that there is SO much more to music than singing folk songs. I have used reading and books many times in my classroom, and in many ways. There are plenty of books that lend themselves to speaking in rhythm, talking about rhyme, adding sound effects, and singing along. I love to use them for a rainy day when I need a little bit of calm in my classroom, and they make for a great, and easy sub plan. 

     One of my biggest accomplishments this year as a teacher was that I created my 1st and 2nd grade program around the story Giraffes Can't Dance , by Giles Andreae and illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees. The book tells the tale of Gerald the Giraffe, who is scorned by the other jungle animals because he isn't very good at dancing.  In my program, the students of Eureka Elementary used their seven habits (which you can peruse here ) to help Gerald learn how to dance and to be confident in himself. The students sang and danced to songs about the jungle, giraffes, and the moon, and had a BLAST! The students loved the humor of the book, and took the message to heart. They discovered their "sparks," and the things that made them unique from their peers. After this year, I vow to always use children's literature for my programs for the wee ones. 

Image courtesy of Amazon.com. Link to view or purchase the book can be found here

     I also use books in my classroom outside of planning programs. Here are some of my favorites, as well as an example of a unit or lesson that I would incorporate the book in!

Image from vosa.org.  The book series can be found on Amazon or from West Music.

So-me Series. This set of 12 books written by Stuart Manins, was created with the purpose of teaching musical concepts through literature, with an emphasis on Kodaly and Orff methodology. The books follow the main character Some (a play on the solfege syllables, sol and mi,) and his friends. Each interactive book focuses on a main concept, such as hearing both the descending and ascending sol-mi pattern, or listening for every day sounds. The books have an accompanying CD or tape, but can also be read aloud by a teacher. The students can sing along in some places, show the Curwen hand signs for the syllables in use, and provide sound effects for the actions in the story. The website here will give you a great idea of all of the concepts that Some helps the students to learn!

Image provided by Amazon.com. A link to view or purchase the book can be found here

We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Helen Oxenbury and Michael Rosen. This book was literally used in my kindergarten class this morning. There are SO MANY ways to approach the use of this delightful book. My preferred lesson looks something like this: Read the book, while the children listen to the story. Invite the students to help with the words on the colored pages (splash splosh, tiptoe, etc.) Sort the students into small groups, one group for each of the different obstacles. Each group gets an instrument that corresponds to the sound that the people make as they travel through each obstacle - see the list below. This time, there are  few more components involved in the telling of the story. This can be stretched out into many readings, or can be squished down to add time for other things in the same lesson. Some classes will be fine with multiple readings, others will get bored. The teacher reads each line of the "A section" of the story, and the students echo, as they pat their legs with alternating hands, as if they are walking. Then instead of, or in addition to the students speaking the sounds of the traveling, the instrument groups get a few seconds of glory to play their instruments to their hearts' content. At the end of the story as the hunters return home, the students "run" their hands on their legs, instead of walking them. 

• Grass - shakers, sand blocks, guiro
• River - triangles, finger cymbals, 
• Mud - (I haven't quite found the "right" instrument here... I have used a vibraslap, slide whistles, slapsticks, and deep field drums. None of them really mimic the "squelch" sound, but they work pretty well anyways.)
• Forest- shape drums, agogo bells
• Snowstorm - thunder tubes and glockenspiels. It's a winning combination.
• Cave - woodblocks. Simple, but I like that they have an echo-ey sound. 

Once again... image from Amazon.com, where you can view and purchase the book. Check it out here

Satchmo's Blues by Alan Schroeder. This book is great for older students (even fifth grade!) I use it during my April Jazz unit to highlight Louis Armstrong, and his life when we was the same age as many of the students that I teach. My school is predominantly white, and while we have some African American students, there are still probably fewer than fifteen in a school of 350 students. We just went to a workshop that discussed whether our lessons asked our students to look in a mirror, or through a window. It's important that students see themselves reflected in our lessons, and also important that they see into another culture as well. This book give an opportunity for the African American students to see a mirror image of themselves, and it allows students living in poverty to also see a mirror of their situation, regardless of their skin color. It's got a lot more words on each page than younger students are accustomed to, but it's a sweet book about how Louis Armstrong obtained his first trumpet. 

Amazon.com. here

My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss. Who doesn't love a good Dr. Seuss book? This one is a little more tame as compared to many others where you do your best to struggle through syllable after syllable and word after word of "seuss-isms." This is an incredible book that can help students with emotional development, particularly in the area of emotional identification. The book talks about how a person has different days, and those different days are different colors, depending on how the person is feeling. I read the book to the students very slowly. At each color, I play a song that matches  the color and emotion, and I ask the students to either move in a way that matches the music OR in a way that reflects the color and feeling of the day. If you want an example, or a starting place for creating a playlist of music for the book, OMazing Kids Yoga has a soundcloud playlist already created, with each song labeled by color. Find it here! (Preview... this is what I'm using for my 4th and 5th grade program next year!)

I feel a little like this post is a written version of the end of a "Reading Rainbow" episode. There are so many more... I could write my own book about all of the ways that I use books in my classes. From kindergarten through fifth grade, I try to incorporate a variety of books and forms of literature. Sometimes I read aloud, sometimes I ask the students to read. If I could leave with one take-away for this post, it would be this: reading in music is a worthwhile use of time. Don't shy away from it because it takes up time... instead, utilize the books and the texts and imbed musical concepts in the reading of the book. There shouldn't be such a great divide between specials and core subjects... use the two to work together and assist in growth in each area!

What are your favorite books to use in your classroom?

Happy Monday!

Wandering

“All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,

A light from the shadows shall spring;

Renewed shall be blade that was broken,

The crownless again shall be king.”

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

I often feel like I'm wandering... especially on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Why? Because my position necessitates that I travel to another school to teach. I know that many of my fellow music educators have to do the same to scrape up enough classes and hours to make ends meet. I am the only teacher at my primary school, but I pick up 7 30-minute classes at a nearby school. I teach three sections of third grade, three sections of second grade, and one section of third grade. On I start and end the day at one school, and spend the middle of the day at another. Don't get me wrong - I am THANKFUL for my job, extra kids to love on, and the ability to work alongside a fabulous, experienced music teacher; however, it's been a challenge trying to find a way to make my lessons at the second school equally as effective for the kids and for myself.  Many of my fellow wanderers don't have a "home base," or have to teach in classrooms instead of a designated music room... all positions come with their own challenges, but some  require a bit more creativity and thinking than others.

Here are three of my favorite lessons and ideas for the traveling teacher (but not exclusive to a traveler!)

1. They like to... move it!

    The less I have to travel with... the better! My go to activities, especially for the kindergarteners, are all about movement.  I have recently been acquainted with Dalcroze "Quick Reaction" exercises. The students have to listen for music/rhythmic/phrase cues and respond by altering their movements. For example: I may play high, legato sounds, and the students will pretend to be ice skating. Then I may switch to an upbeat boom-chick sort of sound, and the students will pretend that they are having a friendly snowball fight with their neighbor. Then I would play a low tremolo and they would have to shiver to stay warm.  After the students get used to the sounds, the teacher can vary the order in which they are played, and the length that each sound is played. The students will be moving, and focused.  This activity can be done with recordings, piano (the black keys are your friends!) or temple blocks. Any way that you can provide a variety of sounds will work!

             Modification for a traditional classroom with desks:  rather than locomotor movement - the students can still respond to sound cues with non-locomotor movements or body percussion. 

2. The less set-up time, the better

   I don't want to deprive my students the opportunity to play larger instruments like xylophones, and drums... but I try to only involve one or two instruments to eliminate set up time. I often get into the room minutes before the class starts, and I don't have the opportunity to set up beforehand. With only 30 minute classes... I have to maximize on giving the students as much time to play and learn as I possibly can. So one day, I thought to myself - what's an instrument that provides a variety of sounds, is portable, and won't drive the teacher insane? Two answers. The first is body percussion. It requires nothing but students. I know that I often forget that body percussion is a viable option for things other than attention grabbing. The second is rhythm sticks. I keep mine in a basket that I can easily take back and forth between schools. It's wide enough that several kids can quickly grab sticks at the same time, and easy enough to carry that students can be the ones to pass them out. Both of these options offer a variety of sounds, without needing a closet full of diverse instruments.

3. How to travel

    There are an endless number of ways that supplies can be transferred from space to space. Just like with flying, each teacher will have to find the one piece of "luggage" that works for them. Do you prefer something with wheels? Would you rather have one bag with a ton of pockets? Do you need something with firm sides so that you can keep your instruments from moving around? Here are some of the options that I use depending on my need for that day.

Buckets. There were 4 buckets left in my room from a previous teacher, and I have used them all year to tote instruments back and forth. What I like MOST about the buckets is that they are sturdy, which means that as I'm driving, the things inside of my bucket do not shift around. I'm not a crazy driver... but the bucket sits on the floor behind the front seats, it doesn't fall over, and my tetris - locked instruments stay exactly as I placed them. Bonus! If you have a papers that need to come too, they can sit along the sides, and won't get crumpled in a bag!

Reusable grocery bags/laundry bags. Easier if you have things that can roll around or be squished, and you need to carry a lot of things on your arms.  This is ideal for boomwhackers, (the laundry bags are the right size for those!!) scarves, books, rhythm sticks, and other small percussion instruments that are not easily damaged.

Rolling carts. I often borrow one from our front office whenever I need instruments or larger items moved from my room to another locations. If I needed to travel between rooms regularly, I would choose the Mac Sports Collapsible Folding Utility wagon. It is collapsible (and can be easily stored,) has wheels, and is wide instead of tall, which could be perfect for xylophones. 

Plastic Tubs. I am a major proponent of the "sub tub." I have a plastic bin where I keep file folders organized by grade. This is a great way to carry papers, worksheets, movies, books, pencils, crayons, etc. ALL AT THE SAME TIME! When I travel on Mondays, I see several different grades, so if I need to carry different materials, I don't want them to get mixed together. Keeping them separated by tabs helps to keep myself organized

4. Assessment.

    Yuck. I have not met a music teacher who doesn't roll their eyes when they hear this word. We may see hundreds of students a week, and when you give an assessment to one class... you typically give it to all of the classes in that grade. If anyone else is like me... sometimes the grading can stack up, the papers can pile up, and the daunting task of getting them all graded and passed back can be an unfortunate process. Here are two options that are great for traveling and stationary teachers alike to minimize papers, time for grading, and stress on the kids.

• Dry Erase Boards.  We just got these beautiful boards that are blank on one side, and have 3 sets of staves on the back. Students can write an answer, "chin your board" (or hold up your board,) erase, and move on. They are great for individual answers, group answers, and partner work. I love the activity hand up, stand up, quiz, quiz trade - and it's SO easy with dry erase boards! Save the planet while you are assessing by eliminating the need for tons of copies.
• Plickers. If you have not yet experienced the brilliance that is plickers... head over to www.plickers.com and check it out.  Pluckers are like QR codes, or unique images that an iPad or tablet can recognize and read.  Students read questions on the smart board or from a projector, then they choose the correct answer in multiple choice form, or true false. They turn their plicker image to the side labeled with the correct letter, A,B,C, or D, and then the teacher can scan the room with his or her tablet, which will pull all of the students' answers in. Major plus? it will do the grading for you. 

Are you a traveling teacher? What does your week of wandering look like? Do you have any go-to lessons or activities that make the wandering a little less burdensome? Thanks for sharing your common times!

Memoirs of a First Year Teacher

     The countdown in my planner tells me that there are 37 days of teaching left until my first year as a teacher has been completed. In some ways, I feel as if this year has flown by. In other ways, it has felt like an eternity. I feel like I've really reached the point in the year where I'm facing the consequences for things I could have done better at the beginning of the year. My recent mantra has been "being a first year teacher is all about learning what to do, and what not to do again next year." Its much easier to recognize things that will go in the latter category, and harder to see the good procedures and habits that have become part of every day routines. Here are some of the major things that fall into both categories for me:

What to do:

• Learn names, and actually be brave enough to call a student by name. There's nothing that will engrain their actual name in your mind than by calling them by the wrong one...
• Write a lesson plan. Every. single. time. I need to see things written on paper. Every time I tried to "wing" a lesson, or go with a plan that I didn't write down, I was faced with one of the following issues: too much time left over, not enough time, poor transitions between activities, forgotten components of lessons.
• Enforce the rules that you put in place. Are kindergarteners cute? yes. Does that mean that the excuse "I don't know... my foot just got there," is an acceptable answer for kicking an instrument? no. 
• Laugh! Enjoy being with your students. Let them know that you are a real person, and not some automated cyborg intended for delivering curriculum.
• Keep your classroom organized. I thought that I had a hard time finding out remote for the Tv... that's NOTHING compared to trying to find the smart board remote. 
• Assess as you go. Document what's going on as you observe an activity. Through the use of the program iDoceo , I have easy access to monitoring a student's progress. Assessments should not always (or often...) be a written test. You will get a better understanding of a student's ability in a candid, and low-stress setting. For me the documentation isn't so much for my record book as it is for me to better understand myself as a teacher. What am I doing well? what do I need to teach more thoroughly? who can I help that may be slipping through the cracks quietly, and unnoticed?
• Be the boss (for lack of a better word) in the classroom... but cultivate positive relationships outside of the students' specials time. One of the things that I feel has been my biggest success this year was developing a relationship with some particularly challenging students. In my classroom, there is no acceptable time to break a rule. Therefore, I enforce my rules as often as I can through the use of strikes. As a new teacher, I understand that I'm being tested. My school has gone through music teachers like some people go through socks. Music hasn't been a priority for these kids, and since the music teachers always leave... why bother paying attention to them? Although students have to face consequences in my classroom... that doesn't mean that I ignore them, or bring any frustration into my casual interactions with them in the hall or before and after school. I was intentional about helping with parent pick-up in the afternoons (even though it's not my assigned duty) so that I could talk to kids while they waited. It was through conversations about the students' interests that we could come to a better understanding and that I could develop a rapport with the students. Showing concern for a student waiting for the nurse, or praising a student for a project displayed in the hallway showed that I noticed the student for who they are outside of my classroom.

What NOT to do:

• Leave behavior undocumented. I have a three-strikes-you're-out policy in my room. First semester, I would casually throw out strikes like I was tossing candy... but I wouldn't do anything about them except enforce my procedure of 1. warning, 2. sit out, 3. call for backup. I found that there were some circumstances that called for more than 1 strike... but didn't really need backup. When I went to put in grades at the end of the semester... I was at a loss! I had no way of justifying why I gave students a lower behavior grade because I had not documented the strikes to watch the trend of when things had become a problem or a habit for a student. Second semester, I kept a strike book where I kept dates and tally marks next to a student's name. I can visually see the trends and make adjustments for a happier classroom.
• Offer frequent class rewards for good behavior. At this point, the students can earn points during class. Every 10 points they have a reward.This was GREAT at first... but now, I'm out of ideas for rewards AND the rewards happen too frequently. I'm not as consistent with giving points (or taking them away) as I should be, because I don't have an idea for their next reward. Newt year, I will spread it out so that there's more to look forward to, and I don't run out of my stash of ideas as quickly.
• Talk so much during choir rehearsal. I tend to ramble and repeat myself. Some weeks, I spend more time on announcements and questions than I do on rehearsing... which is NOT productive. 
• Wear heals on concert day. My feet hurt after a normal day of teaching when I wear heels... why would I think that it would be any different on an even longer day???
• Make assumptions about substitute teacher's ability in music,  or familiarity with my classroom. There was a day when I was expecting one sub, and last minute had a different one. Sub plans need to be thorough, as if it's a new sub who has never been in your room before. 
• Teach standard-by-standard. This is where I'm really facing consequences for this year. At the beginning of the year, I started with a pacing guide, but I struggled to implement my ideas, program repertoire, and personal song/activity choices. I had a hard time substituting things in and out while knowing what standards or focuses I needed to have. Then i started focusing on one standard at a time. Now, I'm stuck with the leftover standards, which all seem to be things that I could have easily tied into a different activity. Next year I will structure different things around themes (genres, composers, time periods, etc.) and pull in specific standards that can be incorporated into a theme. I think that things will flow more smoothly, and allow more opportunity for me to incorporate other songs and games without seeming like such a break from the norm. 

All in all, there are probably more lessons that I will toss to the side than there are lessons that I'm itching to teach again. This has been an incredible year, and I'm not wishing for time to fly by any faster... but I am ready to start a year over. To implement procedures and routines in a more constructive way so that I can maximize on the 30 minutes that I get to see my students. I feel so proud of all of the things that I've accomplished this year, and I'm amazed at how well my first year of teaching has gone.

Common Time: What are some things that you have kept from your very first year of teaching? What are some things that you knew right away you would never use again?

Introduction

It seems like everything in my life starts with an introduction: a new book, pieces of music, a lesson, a new friendship... The list could go on and on, so it seems only fitting that a blog should start with one as well.

My name is Crystal Berteau. I am a K-5 music teacher in a town about 40 minutes South West of Saint Louis Missouri.  I graduated from Concordia University - Saint Paul last May (2015), so I have only been a teacher for oh... 8 months? Even so, I love what I do, and I am confident that I'm in exactly the right line of work.  Originally going through high school and college, I was certain that I wanted to teach high school choir, with the intention of some day becoming a clinician that would travel to work with All-State or Invitational choirs. That could certainly be on the horizon in the future, but when a full-time music job lands in your lap one week before the school year starts with no other prospects, you take what you can get. I was hesitant at first, but I have absolutely fallen in love with teaching elementary music.

It seems like the most common question in the music world is "what's your instrument?" The answer is my voice, although I also take some semblance of pride in my piano abilities. Through many years of tears and struggles, I am thankful that my mom forced me to start piano lessons when I was 6, and for my intimidating and incredibly talented college piano professor who always reminded me that I could do better. As with all recent college grads who still remember some of the things that they learned, I can fudge my way through "Hot Cross Buns" and a scale or two on most of the major instruments that are taught in schools. The top instrument on my bucket list to learn is the harp. Someday...

As for life outside of teaching music (what? that exists??) I am married to the most hilarious and thoughtful man, and we just celebrated our first anniversary this past December. He is a student in Seminary, studying to be a Lutheran Pastor. Together we enjoy trying local restaurants, watching Netflix (our current favorites are 30 Rock and Psych) and watching Minnesota Sports. Some of my other favorite things are making any and all kinds of crafts, running, teaching Zumba, cooking, and sharing Jesus' love. As a future - pastor's wife, I get some flack about why I'm not teaching in a private Lutheran school. 1.) See the first full paragraph about the job falling in my lap... and 2.) although I'm not professing my faith and reading scripture to my students, I believe that I am still effectively sharing and displaying the love of Christ through my daily actions and interactions, and providing that opportunity for students to experience Christ when they may not have that kind of love at home, but that's a soap box tale for another post.

Why did I start this blog?

Glad that you asked! (And I'm glad that you've continued reading this far into my post...)

My big "summer project" is to start getting my name and ideas out into the teaching world. Although high school choir isn't where I see myself right now, I still see myself in higher education. I am excited to the point of being giddy by the idea of being able to teach other teachers about teaching music. Whether that outlet is in a college setting, as a traveling clinician going to state music educator  conferences, or any other avenues that prevent themselves... I want to start figuring out how to get my ideas out there, and to start collaborating with other professionals in my field. Step One - Blog.  Check! Step Two - Teachers Pay Teachers. Currently in Progress. That's why I have created the "brand" Crystal's Common Time. I love titles, themes, and things that are clever. I would love to know your thoughts, ideas, and get any feedback on my initial logo draft.

Fun Fact: I spent my spring break learning how to make my own clip-art. How exciting!!

Do we have any "common times?" are you a runner, zumba instructor, or avid Psych fan? Let me know! :)

Thanks for reading!