I'm about to finish my 9th year of teaching and each year I've felt like I've made some sort of progress as a teacher or improved at least one aspect (classroom management, concert pedagogy, marching band stuff, etc) but I feel like I hit a wall this year.
I've been at the same school since I started...great situation with consistent admin support and very talented students feeding into my band from hard working directors in the pattern.
It's hard for me to tell if each year I'm improving, or the kids I'm getting are improving, or both...but I found it very challenging to pick concert music that would appropriately challenge the kids this year. I thought I picked music that would push them and me at the same time, but I often found myself struggling to motivate myself to work on the music, and I felt a "wall" between me and the kids, which I've never felt before. They were unsually quiet in rehearsal, which is normally a good thing, but I couldn't tell if they were quiet due to focus or disengagement. Many days I felt like I was pulling teeth, and the band sounded the worst its sounded in years at contest, even though its some of the best individual musicians ive ever had. The kids are always respectful to me but definitely not as enthusiastic as past years.
I don't know if I'm seeking advice or just seeing if anyone's been through this before. It may be that I was not great at programming this year. Was the music too hard or too easy? Not sure why everyone (myself included) became disengaged. Maybe its just a down year and next year will be better.
Thanks for letting me speak into the void
Re: Ever feel like you have regressed as a teacher?
What were songs you played when you were in band that you loved? Why not try those? Instead of something to challenge yourself, just play a few songs you really loved and share it with the kids. Maybe have several song choices and let them pick ones to play?
If it's a spring or winter concert, try something new, like having the band play the soundtrack to a movie/show that's playing, or something that could get audience involved. Regardless of how kids feel about their music, when they see the crowd getting worked up they'll remember that more than the music.
You should also record your first run-through with your songs and listen to it at the end of the year to see the difference yourself.
I'm also willing to bet these kids are acting funky because it's May. No matter what your school schedule is, they've got friends and family graduating and making summer plans and they're most likely daydreaming about that.
Re: Ever feel like you have regressed as a teacher?
If you're not excited about what you're doing, the kids will not be either.
There's a lot going on in education right now (or rather, not going on in education anymore right now) that probably has a lot of people losing confidence that teaching is "for them". I hope that's not what you're experiencing, but it could be that as well.
I always try to do some type of staff development in the summer which can consist of:
TBA Attending professional concerts Conn-Selmer institute stuff Teacher prof development such as SHSU
You've got enough experience to know what you want and maybe be depressed about it, if it's not there yet. Then again, years ago you didn't realize how bad things might have been at the time.
You may even want to consider a change in positions. The TMEA job board has many postings daily. Sometimes a new job creates new challenges - variety is the spice of life.
Re: Ever feel like you have regressed as a teacher?
Having someone you respect monitor your teaching is excellent. Getting feedback even if it's just from a peer is excellent. Assistant/associate communication has been more helpful than collegiate clinics watching me work my bands through the years.
