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Chorus of Cherabim
This year I've had the pleasure of teaching choir to some of the students at my school.
It started back in August. Being new to a small private school on a tiny island, it took me almost a month to realize that I should keep my mouth shut about everything. During the first week of school, I mentioned that I like to sing and that I had been in lots of different choirs. The other teachers immediately told me how wonderful it would be for me to start a choir at the school. My first thoughts were: "Oh hell no!" I don't know how to direct a choir. I didn't know how to conduct and I couldn't play the piano. Their reasoning was that there hadn't been a choir at the school so anything would be better than what they had been having. Then without me being fully convinced, it was announced that I would be starting a choir. So they talked me into it.
I encouraged my middle school and high school students to join. They sounded excited about it. However, the first day of rehearsal came around and not a single one of my students showed up. Instead, a couple of four-year-old girls were there ready to sing their little hearts out. I was freaked out. The majority of my prior experience had been at the high school level. My teaching certification and education had been with 8th through 12th graders. I hadn't really worked with the little rugrats before. How in the world was I going to teach them how to sing? I had shown up to the first practice ready to have them sing two-part harmony to The Lion King. I left that first day having taught students how to clap in the Bingo song.
If some mothers hadn't volunteered to play the piano for me, I would have been completely lost these last nine months. They really helped me tremendously. That initial choir of two had grown up to 13 people at its largest. We finished the year with 10 performing at the End of the Year Program which was tonight.
We had a dress rehearsal in the afternoon for the students and faculty. During rehearsals, they would stop singing anytime I wasn't singing along with them. My students had never sung in front of a group before either. I was totally worried. It turned out to be a chaotic first performance. One kid even thought that we were a show choir and keep running around the stage instead of singing. That little rugrat stuff is always hysterical. The evening performance for the parents was crazier. But once they got on stage they were well-behaved but not a minute before then. The parents ate it up and the kids enjoyed it.
After my choir sang, I got to see all the other performances from all the other groups: martial arts, jump rope, steel pan drums, violin, guitar, ballet and tap. By the end of the show, I had had one of those "teacher moments." These are the rare moments of extreme joy that you feel when you are sure that you're suppose to be a teacher. I've been fortunate enough to have had at least once during each of my three years of teaching.
Tonight's hit really deep and has placed me into a pensive state. I've been reflecting on some of the students that I've had in the past - some of the really extreme case students. I know that every teacher has those experiences and probably most of them are worse. I can still complain though. From my point of view, mine have been just stressful enough to get to where I am in my teaching career. I'm glad that I'm on this side of the coin now. I have a feeling that I'll be having more of these moments.
It started back in August. Being new to a small private school on a tiny island, it took me almost a month to realize that I should keep my mouth shut about everything. During the first week of school, I mentioned that I like to sing and that I had been in lots of different choirs. The other teachers immediately told me how wonderful it would be for me to start a choir at the school. My first thoughts were: "Oh hell no!" I don't know how to direct a choir. I didn't know how to conduct and I couldn't play the piano. Their reasoning was that there hadn't been a choir at the school so anything would be better than what they had been having. Then without me being fully convinced, it was announced that I would be starting a choir. So they talked me into it.
I encouraged my middle school and high school students to join. They sounded excited about it. However, the first day of rehearsal came around and not a single one of my students showed up. Instead, a couple of four-year-old girls were there ready to sing their little hearts out. I was freaked out. The majority of my prior experience had been at the high school level. My teaching certification and education had been with 8th through 12th graders. I hadn't really worked with the little rugrats before. How in the world was I going to teach them how to sing? I had shown up to the first practice ready to have them sing two-part harmony to The Lion King. I left that first day having taught students how to clap in the Bingo song.
If some mothers hadn't volunteered to play the piano for me, I would have been completely lost these last nine months. They really helped me tremendously. That initial choir of two had grown up to 13 people at its largest. We finished the year with 10 performing at the End of the Year Program which was tonight.
We had a dress rehearsal in the afternoon for the students and faculty. During rehearsals, they would stop singing anytime I wasn't singing along with them. My students had never sung in front of a group before either. I was totally worried. It turned out to be a chaotic first performance. One kid even thought that we were a show choir and keep running around the stage instead of singing. That little rugrat stuff is always hysterical. The evening performance for the parents was crazier. But once they got on stage they were well-behaved but not a minute before then. The parents ate it up and the kids enjoyed it.
After my choir sang, I got to see all the other performances from all the other groups: martial arts, jump rope, steel pan drums, violin, guitar, ballet and tap. By the end of the show, I had had one of those "teacher moments." These are the rare moments of extreme joy that you feel when you are sure that you're suppose to be a teacher. I've been fortunate enough to have had at least once during each of my three years of teaching.
Tonight's hit really deep and has placed me into a pensive state. I've been reflecting on some of the students that I've had in the past - some of the really extreme case students. I know that every teacher has those experiences and probably most of them are worse. I can still complain though. From my point of view, mine have been just stressful enough to get to where I am in my teaching career. I'm glad that I'm on this side of the coin now. I have a feeling that I'll be having more of these moments.