Final Reflection
After I finished making the last changes to my thesis, I immediately began to pick up around the house. As I moved from task to task, sweeping, putting away dishes, starting laundry, I thought about how I’ve grown to be the teacher I am today.
The first six weeks of school went by as a blur. As I brainstormed ideas for motivating students to practice more, I felt very apprehensive to stray away the way I normally taught. Looking back, I was scared of the unknown and worried that I was going to fail miserably, that my students would be lost, and that I would mess up the programs that I’ve worked so hard to grow and improve over the last five years. I didn’t understand how I was going to be able to integrate the action research into my classroom without giving something else up.
Throughout the action research, I constantly tried things that my cohort discussed in seminar. Most importantly, I began to shift the idea of my role as a teacher, towards more of a leader within my school. Not a leader that stands out in front and tells you what to do. A leader that skillfully guides alongside and from within, allowing others to step up and get to take the lead naturally. This example of leadership was specifically modeled to me by Stacey and Rob and shared with other members of our cohort. I thought about how I used to teach and the guidance I received from my teacher training program BTSA, six years ago.
Comparing the two experiences from a student’s perspective, I understand why there is such a strong movement to change the way teachers are taught. In the BTSA program, instructors handed down knowledge from a prescribed curriculum that was supposed to work for everyone and students were expected to adapt the material for their classrooms. That worked up to a point, but when I realized that none of the my instructors knew anything about what happened inside a middle school music classroom and my passion, I disengaged from the experience. I still completed the assignments, but with little effort and heart. I passed the two year long BTSA program with the highest marks possible, and yet the entire experience felt like a worthless waste of time.
When I was officially granted my CA Clear Teaching Credential I was excited that I could finally devote more time to my students and classroom. I had been teaching at Pershing for two years without having to complete any extra education classes when I met a teacher who was working at HTH and completing the graduate program. Spencer Pforsich and I played in a Mo-Town Band called, The Heavy Love, which only lasted for about six months before disbanding. During that wicked awesome time, Spencer and I would discuss what was happening in our classrooms and I was inspired by how he described HTH to be structured for students to experience learning through projects. I heard about the GSE info-sessions from Spencer, but initially did not end up attending one of them until a full year later. I was very apprehensive at the first meeting because I didn’t know what to expect, but I knew that I did not want to spend another two years in a program that I would find useless upon completion.
From the very beginning of the GSE program, I received instruction that I actually used in my classroom with my students. I still had to make adjustments and adapt concepts to fit the realm of instrumental music, but what I was learning worked. And more importantly I saw a change in how my students experienced my class.
I am incredibly grateful for all of the knowledge I have gained from fellow students and faculty at High Tech High Graduate School. Stacey and Rob have been amazing people to work alongside. I say alongside, because at no point during the two year program did I ever feel like any of the staff members were just teaching me from behind the glass wall, the distinction between teacher and student. I always felt as if we were conquering a task together as a team. The entire cohort created an energy that some days was the only thing that kept me going after a full day of teaching, after school rehearsals. After each graduate seminar I left feeling energized and ready to take on the next challenging day. In fact, I welcomed it.
As I engaged in the action research, I was struck by how nothing I initially came up with to explore, seemed to fit or work with my group. I was trying to define specific things to measure to produce a desired end product and it wasn’t working. After reading about the power of student voice and autonomy, I decided to ask my students broad questions about what they thought was working and look for strong themes to focus my research. This was the first step in letting go of control and embracing the action research process. I couldn’t stand on the outside and dictate what happened, I needed to be a close integrated part of the process. I had to step back and look at what was working within my classroom and stop worrying about controlling how my students experienced band.
I struggled asking students for feedback and the process took patience and careful planning to get meaningful results. Discussing student feedback and acting upon their suggestions is what brought energy and ownership throughout my classroom community. Looking back at large volume of feedback I collected from students, I thought, what if I hadn’t asked for this? Look at what I would’ve missed out on? I gained a much deeper understanding of what students expected from me as their teacher. I found that the best thing I could do for my students was to give them ownership and responsibility for the direction of group. When students felt that there was something bigger to work for besides me as the teacher, I saw just how important it was to perform for an authentic audience. It was no longer about turning an assignment in to the teacher to get a grade. It was about being of service to the community of musicians that make up the band.
I reflected on the work my students and I did together over the course of the year and discussed how it would change my decisions in the future. I asked students to look back and reflect upon the growth they’ve made over the course of the year. I explained how reflection had become a powerful part of my life. Without looking back, we have no idea how far we have come. I asked all of my students to write a reflection regardless of their involvement with the research study. I explained to them that this reflection was not about a grade, it was way more important. It was about looking back at what worked and acknowledging the journey to where we stand today. One of my students, a sixth grader wrote the following reflection. I was blown away by how clear the themes of my research project resonated throughout her response.
I am an orchestra student, and I play cello. In the beginning of the school year, orchestra was just a class. I am ashamed to admit, but it wasn’t as important to me as the other classes were. As time passed I began to think of playing in orchestra as my freedom, as my place to escape. Looking back, I know that I wouldn’t be the same without this experience. I want other people to know this same feeling, and to get to know their inner musician as I did. However, they can’t do that if they don’t have the opportunity to.
Orchestra at Pershing is a special experience that allows students to grow in creativity and spirit. As they progress in playing, they realize that they can do anything if they work hard, never give up, and give it their all. You find yourself striving to perform the song as best as you can and work hard to make it even better. You know you can never really get it perfect, but you can make it really close by trying your very best day after day.
First we learn on our own, and practice making it sound perfect for our ears. Next, students come together, and perform with each other for our teacher. Finally, the experience we have strived to get, the whole orchestra becomes one, and makes a grand performance for an audience. Doing all this, you might think the music that comes out will definitely have heart and soul behind it, but that’s not true. Heart and soul are in your work if you really truly care about your music, but you also have to care about the people around you, your partners in music, and recognize the fact that the music you are making is a shared talent. Each and every person must practice and care about their work for the music to sound whole and to be as one sound.
Being right in the middle of that sound, up on stage in front of an audience, has been amazing. It is an experience that no one should be without. You feel the beat that you are a part of and you feel complete, as if you suddenly realize what you’ve been missing your whole life. You know that without this exact moment you would not be or act the same in all your years to come. Having felt this I truly appreciate the power of music and the effect it can have on anyone’s life.
This experience has left me wondering; what do schools need to do in order to give all students experiences like the ones my students experienced in band? How can authentic learning opportunities be built and shared throughout schools? How can we establish learning goals and growth mindsets for our students and teachers? In schools of the future will students have a choice to shape their paths much like college but with close attention/support from parents and advisors? I also wonder about a change in the role of "the teacher" and "the student". What if the success of a student was not based upon the hard work and merit and talent of the individual student alone but from the environment they are surrounded by? Maybe focusing more on WHAT and HOW teachers and students work together is a start. I hope to pursue and discuss these fierce wonderings with students, parents, colleagues and administrators as a way to bring about a positive change in how students experience learning. I believe they are vital to creating active and engaged students in schools of the future.
This has been an incredibly rewarding learning experience that will carry with me and forever influence my teaching methodologies. Understanding how my students experience my class has opened my eyes to the power of building strong communities. I will continue to focus on building communities of active and engaged students and teachers.
References
BACK TO HOME
The first six weeks of school went by as a blur. As I brainstormed ideas for motivating students to practice more, I felt very apprehensive to stray away the way I normally taught. Looking back, I was scared of the unknown and worried that I was going to fail miserably, that my students would be lost, and that I would mess up the programs that I’ve worked so hard to grow and improve over the last five years. I didn’t understand how I was going to be able to integrate the action research into my classroom without giving something else up.
Throughout the action research, I constantly tried things that my cohort discussed in seminar. Most importantly, I began to shift the idea of my role as a teacher, towards more of a leader within my school. Not a leader that stands out in front and tells you what to do. A leader that skillfully guides alongside and from within, allowing others to step up and get to take the lead naturally. This example of leadership was specifically modeled to me by Stacey and Rob and shared with other members of our cohort. I thought about how I used to teach and the guidance I received from my teacher training program BTSA, six years ago.
Comparing the two experiences from a student’s perspective, I understand why there is such a strong movement to change the way teachers are taught. In the BTSA program, instructors handed down knowledge from a prescribed curriculum that was supposed to work for everyone and students were expected to adapt the material for their classrooms. That worked up to a point, but when I realized that none of the my instructors knew anything about what happened inside a middle school music classroom and my passion, I disengaged from the experience. I still completed the assignments, but with little effort and heart. I passed the two year long BTSA program with the highest marks possible, and yet the entire experience felt like a worthless waste of time.
When I was officially granted my CA Clear Teaching Credential I was excited that I could finally devote more time to my students and classroom. I had been teaching at Pershing for two years without having to complete any extra education classes when I met a teacher who was working at HTH and completing the graduate program. Spencer Pforsich and I played in a Mo-Town Band called, The Heavy Love, which only lasted for about six months before disbanding. During that wicked awesome time, Spencer and I would discuss what was happening in our classrooms and I was inspired by how he described HTH to be structured for students to experience learning through projects. I heard about the GSE info-sessions from Spencer, but initially did not end up attending one of them until a full year later. I was very apprehensive at the first meeting because I didn’t know what to expect, but I knew that I did not want to spend another two years in a program that I would find useless upon completion.
From the very beginning of the GSE program, I received instruction that I actually used in my classroom with my students. I still had to make adjustments and adapt concepts to fit the realm of instrumental music, but what I was learning worked. And more importantly I saw a change in how my students experienced my class.
I am incredibly grateful for all of the knowledge I have gained from fellow students and faculty at High Tech High Graduate School. Stacey and Rob have been amazing people to work alongside. I say alongside, because at no point during the two year program did I ever feel like any of the staff members were just teaching me from behind the glass wall, the distinction between teacher and student. I always felt as if we were conquering a task together as a team. The entire cohort created an energy that some days was the only thing that kept me going after a full day of teaching, after school rehearsals. After each graduate seminar I left feeling energized and ready to take on the next challenging day. In fact, I welcomed it.
As I engaged in the action research, I was struck by how nothing I initially came up with to explore, seemed to fit or work with my group. I was trying to define specific things to measure to produce a desired end product and it wasn’t working. After reading about the power of student voice and autonomy, I decided to ask my students broad questions about what they thought was working and look for strong themes to focus my research. This was the first step in letting go of control and embracing the action research process. I couldn’t stand on the outside and dictate what happened, I needed to be a close integrated part of the process. I had to step back and look at what was working within my classroom and stop worrying about controlling how my students experienced band.
I struggled asking students for feedback and the process took patience and careful planning to get meaningful results. Discussing student feedback and acting upon their suggestions is what brought energy and ownership throughout my classroom community. Looking back at large volume of feedback I collected from students, I thought, what if I hadn’t asked for this? Look at what I would’ve missed out on? I gained a much deeper understanding of what students expected from me as their teacher. I found that the best thing I could do for my students was to give them ownership and responsibility for the direction of group. When students felt that there was something bigger to work for besides me as the teacher, I saw just how important it was to perform for an authentic audience. It was no longer about turning an assignment in to the teacher to get a grade. It was about being of service to the community of musicians that make up the band.
I reflected on the work my students and I did together over the course of the year and discussed how it would change my decisions in the future. I asked students to look back and reflect upon the growth they’ve made over the course of the year. I explained how reflection had become a powerful part of my life. Without looking back, we have no idea how far we have come. I asked all of my students to write a reflection regardless of their involvement with the research study. I explained to them that this reflection was not about a grade, it was way more important. It was about looking back at what worked and acknowledging the journey to where we stand today. One of my students, a sixth grader wrote the following reflection. I was blown away by how clear the themes of my research project resonated throughout her response.
I am an orchestra student, and I play cello. In the beginning of the school year, orchestra was just a class. I am ashamed to admit, but it wasn’t as important to me as the other classes were. As time passed I began to think of playing in orchestra as my freedom, as my place to escape. Looking back, I know that I wouldn’t be the same without this experience. I want other people to know this same feeling, and to get to know their inner musician as I did. However, they can’t do that if they don’t have the opportunity to.
Orchestra at Pershing is a special experience that allows students to grow in creativity and spirit. As they progress in playing, they realize that they can do anything if they work hard, never give up, and give it their all. You find yourself striving to perform the song as best as you can and work hard to make it even better. You know you can never really get it perfect, but you can make it really close by trying your very best day after day.
First we learn on our own, and practice making it sound perfect for our ears. Next, students come together, and perform with each other for our teacher. Finally, the experience we have strived to get, the whole orchestra becomes one, and makes a grand performance for an audience. Doing all this, you might think the music that comes out will definitely have heart and soul behind it, but that’s not true. Heart and soul are in your work if you really truly care about your music, but you also have to care about the people around you, your partners in music, and recognize the fact that the music you are making is a shared talent. Each and every person must practice and care about their work for the music to sound whole and to be as one sound.
Being right in the middle of that sound, up on stage in front of an audience, has been amazing. It is an experience that no one should be without. You feel the beat that you are a part of and you feel complete, as if you suddenly realize what you’ve been missing your whole life. You know that without this exact moment you would not be or act the same in all your years to come. Having felt this I truly appreciate the power of music and the effect it can have on anyone’s life.
This experience has left me wondering; what do schools need to do in order to give all students experiences like the ones my students experienced in band? How can authentic learning opportunities be built and shared throughout schools? How can we establish learning goals and growth mindsets for our students and teachers? In schools of the future will students have a choice to shape their paths much like college but with close attention/support from parents and advisors? I also wonder about a change in the role of "the teacher" and "the student". What if the success of a student was not based upon the hard work and merit and talent of the individual student alone but from the environment they are surrounded by? Maybe focusing more on WHAT and HOW teachers and students work together is a start. I hope to pursue and discuss these fierce wonderings with students, parents, colleagues and administrators as a way to bring about a positive change in how students experience learning. I believe they are vital to creating active and engaged students in schools of the future.
This has been an incredibly rewarding learning experience that will carry with me and forever influence my teaching methodologies. Understanding how my students experience my class has opened my eyes to the power of building strong communities. I will continue to focus on building communities of active and engaged students and teachers.
References
BACK TO HOME