Klarinet Archive - Posting 000275.txt from 2004/05

From: "Nicholas Yip" <clarinets21@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] Re: Being the poor old Band Director
Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 01:46:02 -0400

Yes I am a student teacher. I just want to know what a band director would
do in that position,(read my original post). It is like a lose-lose
situation. He took it to the higher authorities, and they said, you need to
produce, or get some outside money. They think that the program is not up to
standard.

Nicholas Yip
Clarinetist and Music Teacher

>From: "Karl Krelove" <karlkrelove@-----.net>
>Reply-To: klarinet@-----.org
>To: <klarinet@-----.org>
>Subject: RE: [kl] Re: Being the poor old Band Director
>Date: Wed, 12 May 2004 21:24:38 -0400
>
>I'm confused! Did Nick say he is in a student teaching assignment. None of
>this is truly his problem except as any of it is a result of his own
>deportment or behavior toward the kids he teaches. Whatever systemic
>weaknesses exist in this school district, they are the concern of the
>contracted staff member who is responsible for these classes/activities. A
>student teacher should not be trying to sort out a problem that existed
>before he got there and will in all likelihood continue long after he
>leaves
>and (hopefully) finds a job elsewhere.
>
>Based solely on Nicholas's description of the situation, which may or may
>not be at this point colored with a lot of emotional reaction, I'd go one
>step further. If the cooperating teacher (whose responsibilities include
>that band, student teacher or no) has offered no more useful help or input
>than Nicholas relates, he is seriously negligent in his performance as a
>cooperating teacher. And if Nicholas's supervising teacher at the college
>where he is enrolled isn't offering any help or useful support, he/she is
>abandoning his/her responsibility as well. No student teacher should be
>left
>to the wolves as completely as Nicholas suggests he has been, nor should he
>be left so much to his own devices if he finds himself in as much hot water
>as Nicholas feels he has gotten into.
>
>In no situation that I can imagine is it nor should it be a student
>teacher's responsibility to meet with administrators, board members or even
>parents to sort out any difficulty beyond his own shortcomings or
>weaknesses
>in delivering the instruction he is charged with delivering. If the system
>stinks, it's a problem for administrators, teachers (paid staff members)
>and
>parents to solve together. If the student teacher's approach and behavior
>are causing damage, the cooperating teacher has a responsibility both to
>protect him/her from the worst consequences of his/her own mistakes, and
>also (out of self-preservation) to protect the integrity of the program
>itself, which the cooperating teacher will need to take back when the
>student teacher leaves.
>
>All of that having been said, Nicholas, I read in your post a number of
>areas that you seem to be insecure about - not just how much to demand and
>press but how to do it in a constructive, productive way and how to react
>to
>parents' concerns. That anger-management counseling has even been suggested
>indicates that something has gone awry in your approach to the kids in the
>band you're teaching, and your own post says clearly that you aren't
>certain
>what to do when working in front of a large class. It can be a very
>difficult thing to learn - to be demanding without being belligerent or
>destructive. If you aren't getting useful help from your cooperating
>teacher, ask for it from your college supervisor. You sound as if you're a
>ping-pong ball that keeps bouncing around while other people beat you with
>their paddles. That's not a good learning experience for you and doesn't
>support a good one for your students, either.
>
>My 2 cents worth, if I understood Nicholas's original post accurately.
>
>Karl Krelove
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Thomas [mailto:thomas@-----.com]
> > Sent: Wednesday, May 12, 2004 4:58 PM
> > To: klarinet list
> > Subject: [kl] Re: Being the poor old Band Director
> >
> >
> > Nicholas: >>Thank You, Unfortunately the school district I teach
> > at, all the
> > money goes
> > to marching band and marching band is the core of the
> > instrumental program.
> > They expect so much out of it.
> >
> > Nicholas, you need to sit the administrators down and explain why it's
>NOT
> > the core of the program, and how they are throwing money at the wrong
> > animal. It's kind of like throwing money at the musical, and
> > expecting the
> > (classroom) chorus to be good.
> >
> > If they won't listen, find yourself another district for next year.
>Get
> > out while you still have your sanity!
> >
> > Lynn
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
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> > Klarinet is a service of Woodwind.Org, Inc. http://www.woodwind.org
> >
> >
>
>
>
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