Say My Name

I am certain there lies in each of us a need to belong somewhere, anywhere.  That's why clubs, churches, gangs, etc exist, for people to belong.  No matter if you are a rule breaker, rule follower, or someone who lives on the edge, you still have this innate desire to belong somewhere, to fit in, to be known, to be valued.

As an educator, my FAVORITE part of any school day is arrival and dismissal.  It's also a busy, sometimes stressful time, but it gives opportunities like no other to welcome kiddos, to set them on a wonderful way to their day, and to send them home curious about what will happen tomorrow.  I serve at my school on car rider duty.  Each morning, I open doors, welcome students, say their names, smile at their parents, wish them a good day, and often times ask how they are doing, how their dance recital went, how that sports team they play on did, and to congratulate them on a new outfit or a haircut or a new tooth that fell out.  I know it sounds silly maybe to someone who is not in education, but those moments I wouldn't trade for any other part of my school day.  It's the same story in the afternoon, opening doors, making sure my little ones don't run in the street because they see their family in the school driveway, asking what they learned today, what was special about today.

To be able to welcome students by name gives an implication that I know them.  I've been around my school long enough to see families grow together, to know likes and dislikes, to know what class they are in, and to learn some things about them.

Recently, data has become a big deal, to know what percent of each subpop is passing, but my question to this data digging is always, "Do you know their names?  Can you tell me which kids are sitting in each subpop?"  It's nice to know numbers, but without names, it's useless data.  To know our students, we have to do some digging into their background, their history, to see where they came from the prior school year, and then to see them and know what motivates them, so I can move them forward.  Say their name.  Put a name to that numerical value.  Make them count for more than a number.  Everyone wants to belong, so let's make it happen.

Daily Education Concerts

My two older daughters are both involved in choir at their schools, middle school and high school respectively.  So, it should go without saying, much like athletics, that our lives revolve around their practice times, after school choir outings, and concerts.  And near the end of each semester there is usually a "look what we've learned" concert.  So, same venue, same auditorium, but different crowds...one a middle school choir crowd, the other a high school choir crowd.  Very different experiences.  High school crowd very respectful, phones on silent, folks waiting to enter or exit between songs, etc.  Middle school crowd just their for their own kid, lots of walking about, even got to overhear a few phone conversations around me in the crowd during performances.  

Last night, we got to enjoy a "professional" choir concert from two of the high schools in our district...the only two choirs invited to perform at TMEA (Texas Music Educators Association) in San Antonio next week...a HUGE honor.  Both high school choirs performed in a beautiful, cathedral type of church, with a packed audience, which included our district Superintendent, some other high level staff members from central office, along with a couple of school board members, and many middle school choirs in attendance to see what high school choir is all about, along with families.  

You know, in a concert, everyone has a part to play.  The director works tirelessly to assemble only the best singers, by audition.  Then places them into the sections they are best suited for: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass.  He/She then works with them individually, in sections, and in a whole group setting repeating songs and parts until it's a quality performance, providing feedback along the way, and infusing fun into all they do.  The director even enlists the help of outsiders, like accompanists, and dancers to help choreograph dances included in the performance for the choir.  And at both my daughter's choir concerts, the director is the one that tells the audience the criteria for participation...Turn your cell phones to silent or off, wait to exit or enter until between performance, wait to clap until my arms drop down, then you will know when the song is over, etc.  The choir members practice, repeating, reviewing, correcting, getting help when needed, and showing up day after day for their duties.  They even go out of their way to get together for social events to build their "team" or section up, so they are able to work in better harmony.  The parents and families have a duty to bring their children to these choir practices, outings, and performance, making sure they have all they need to be successful.  Parents ad families also have a duty to stand to the sidelines, or staying in their seats, creating a performance atmosphere worthy of attention for themselves and others.  

In the midst of waiting for the church doors to open last night, I was reading to catch up in my GT book study, How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms by Carol Ann Tomlinson and I came across this section:

"The Teacher as Director of the Orchestra.  This metaphor generates the image of a leader who knows the music intimately, can interpret it elegantly, can pull together a group of people who may not know each other well to achieve a common end, even though they all play different instruments.  There's a time in rehearsals for individual practice, a time for sectional practice, and a time for the whole group to work together.  There's a need to polish the performance of each individual musician so that the work of the whole is of quality.  In the end, each musician contributes to a meaningful performance and earns the applause (or scorn) of the audience.  The director of the orchestra helps musicians make music, but does not make the music himself."

And it got me thinking about how music groups, since that's what my life seems to revolve around lately, are a LOT like schools and education.  The director (Principal) needs to select, by audition (interviews, observations) world class members (Teachers) who will work well with their sections (Teams and Students) to create a world class performance for the audience (Students, Parents and Community).  It's the members (Teachers) job to create harmony within themselves, their section and group, and find personal enjoyment and fulfillment.  It's also their job to make sure that no one section overpowers another, so there is harmony.  And when that harmony doesn't come, a director may occasionally (rarely) step in to solve it, but harmony is created primarily by the singers.  It's also the directors job to set the expectations for participation, and hold the singers and audience to it.  I've watched the high school director stop a concert for a crying baby in the audience, just standing (not talking) center stage looking out at the audience until they "got a clue" and took the crying baby out of the auditorium.  We need more directors, performers, and audience members like all of these, willing to put forth best efforts, seek help when needed, and set the stage for some great performances, so our students can succeed.