"The cardinal sin
of an educator
is to be boring."
-Theodore Roethke
Haven't we all been there? Nodding off at a desk, counting the minutes, doodling in our notebook, watching the clock...(I had a teacher in my pre-cell phone high school days who removed the clock from the room because too many students checked it constantly!) all of these memories conclude that education is not always entertaining.
And that's OK by me. Sometimes it's like taking a bad-tasting medicine..it will make you better in the end. I had a childhood where we didn't have cable TV or video games and we were allowed to be bored, and I believe those experiences stretch the mind into creativity. But, today's kids are not OK with boredom, or anything that doesn't smack of pure entertainment. I have watched a student of mine come into the classroom, plunk himself in a seat, and announce immediately, "I'm bored!" before the class even began! Talk about a tough crowd...
How can we strike the balance between entertainment and education? In the music education world, we do have an advantage; our subject IS fun. If we remember not to take the "special" out of special subjects, our classes can be an oasis of activity in a day filled with standardized test-aligned instruction, which has taken the "fun" out of a lot of classroom teaching.
We can also help "stretch" our students to be able to persevere in activities that may not be entertaining, but nonetheless help them grow. Learning a new instrument isn't easy, as they will find the skill doesn't happen instantly, but it will happen with practice. We can challenge our young students to quietly listen to music for 30 seconds, then gradually lengthen that time, and work on verbalizing descriptions of what they heard.
No teacher starts out with the dream of being the "Beuller?... Beuller?...." type of teacher, am I right? We chose education because there was an element of the entertainer in us, the type that likes to be in front of the group getting a good reaction from the crowd. Striking the balance between the entertainer and the educator is where the beauty of good teaching lies.
What do you think of Roethke's quote? Do students need to learn to be bored in order to get creative? Or is it our job to provide constant entertainment? Please share your thoughts.
Haven't we all been there? Nodding off at a desk, counting the minutes, doodling in our notebook, watching the clock...(I had a teacher in my pre-cell phone high school days who removed the clock from the room because too many students checked it constantly!) all of these memories conclude that education is not always entertaining.
And that's OK by me. Sometimes it's like taking a bad-tasting medicine..it will make you better in the end. I had a childhood where we didn't have cable TV or video games and we were allowed to be bored, and I believe those experiences stretch the mind into creativity. But, today's kids are not OK with boredom, or anything that doesn't smack of pure entertainment. I have watched a student of mine come into the classroom, plunk himself in a seat, and announce immediately, "I'm bored!" before the class even began! Talk about a tough crowd...
How can we strike the balance between entertainment and education? In the music education world, we do have an advantage; our subject IS fun. If we remember not to take the "special" out of special subjects, our classes can be an oasis of activity in a day filled with standardized test-aligned instruction, which has taken the "fun" out of a lot of classroom teaching.
We can also help "stretch" our students to be able to persevere in activities that may not be entertaining, but nonetheless help them grow. Learning a new instrument isn't easy, as they will find the skill doesn't happen instantly, but it will happen with practice. We can challenge our young students to quietly listen to music for 30 seconds, then gradually lengthen that time, and work on verbalizing descriptions of what they heard.
No teacher starts out with the dream of being the "Beuller?... Beuller?...." type of teacher, am I right? We chose education because there was an element of the entertainer in us, the type that likes to be in front of the group getting a good reaction from the crowd. Striking the balance between the entertainer and the educator is where the beauty of good teaching lies.
What do you think of Roethke's quote? Do students need to learn to be bored in order to get creative? Or is it our job to provide constant entertainment? Please share your thoughts.
When I'm new to a school (unfortunately I'm on my 5th new assignment and have done the "new teacher in town" gig too much for my liking), my first week is VERY entertaining. I'm much like a stand-up comic to get my rules and routines conveyed to the students. I often do impressions of students who think they're "too cool" for music class and impressions of different ways that rules can be broken. Once they're laughing, I ask students to demonstrate or describe the proper ways to behave in music class. There's just so many boring things to go over when you're new to the students (rules, consequences, rewards, expectations, procedures, fire drill, lockdown drill, etc. etc.) that I interject some kind of humor nearly every 3 minutes!
ReplyDeleteThat's great! Humor and the personal touch sets the teaching profession apart from online schools, so all the better for our job security!
ReplyDeleteRules/regulations/procedures talks can get tedious even for the teacher for sure. A while back I made up a bag with small items that "suggested" the rules (oversize plastic ears for "Listen", small foam cutout feet and hands for "Keep your hands and feet to yourself", and safety goggle for "Be safe") and had the students guess what the rules were.
I have a new assignment this year, so I'll be brushing up on my stand-up comedy routine also!
Good luck to you in your new school(s) and I hope someday you get to stay in one place for a while. Thanks for reading and commenting.