I will be discussing on what I have covered in my practicums that I have had throughout the semester and what experiences I have had in the process of being able to observe these classrooms. I was able to study my practicum at Spotswood High School, Elkton Middle School, and Mountain View Elementary School. One thing I have really learned a lot from these observations is, you have to establish yourself as the teacher, the kids will not follow instructions and will not listen to you if all you do is goof off and act like one of the students. This doesn't mean you have to be strict or see yourself as a superior being, it just means you have to have your students know that you are running the classroom and you make the final call on everything they do in class.
Another important part of being a teacher is that you have to always plan ahead, but you also have to be ready to improvise on the spot, especially with younger kids, I thought the younger they got, the more unpredictable they were. I also learned that each grade grouping has its different challenges, younger kids usually have a lot more energy and have trouble staying focused on assignments for a long time if the information comes off to them as boring. Students in the middle school area can start to use a little bit more technology and complicated instruments and systems, but they can also be a little more destructive then high school kids. Children in high school can comprehend and process a lot of really difficult information, but they also tend to be a little bit more sassy and can sometimes make teaching difficult because you feel like you are fighting your students. My favorite one had to actually be elementary school, I say this because I felt like they had a lot of energy and I think if I was an elementary school teacher I could really match that and get them really excited to do a lot fo cool things with music in class. I also feel like I have a lot of help with directing them to really develop as musicians early on in their life, something I personally wish I had more of. I enjoyed the idea of the practicum we did and the various differences we had but I wish that I got to be more hands on with the kids and teach them something, but I guess thats more for later practicums, I feel as though I need to sit back and observe a few more times but I am just os eager to get out there and help these kids experience music. Being a teacher I feel like is only like one third of the actual job you sign up for when you get a public school job. I feel like you are a teacher but you also need to be considered as a friend to give advice and help students out in difficult situations outside of school. I think you also need to be an example setter, for when we become adults, we are examples of what they should act like when they are adults, and if we act poorly and represent our maturity badly then thats going to be what our students think adults should act like, we need to represent well so our students know what being a quality adult looks like. I would like to say that I have been very excited with my practicums this semester and I am very much looking forward to the many more I will have in the near future.
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Surprisingly, as a music educator I have not gotten a lot of engagement opportunities since I have gotten to college. before I had almost no experience teaching and helping students understand the qualities of music, but now, I have had my final exam in Music Tech. This was to design a project and take it into the open and help others outside of the music program understand how it worked and how it related to music . This was a great experience that really helped me see how others see music from a different angel. Another Important engagement I have had through music education in the past was my practicum I had just this Friday Oct 20th, I was able to into the classroom and see how a current teacher engages with their students related to music and questions and challenges. I felt this experience particularly exciting because I have never been a part of a practicum before. I felt this was one of the most valuable Engagements I have had since arriving at JMU. I hope to be able to partake in more practicums and engage in the process of attending them and maybe even run a class with the help of a teacher one day. I will attach links of my notes I took at my practicum and my semester reflection for my Mustech class that includes portions on my final.
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Brandon RhinehartThis will contain my community connections and experiences Archives
February 2021
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