Week 4 Reaction Post - Random Post

OK, just had to share this. This isn't a post for a grade, just something I wanted to blog about because it was such a random, cute moment.

I was sitting in my classroom, working on my laptop at my desk in the afternoon. I had opened the windows for the first time this year that morning. I was enjoying listening to the sounds of the kids outside playing and greeting their parents. I wasn't really listening to what was going on out there, just hearing it like music playing in the background.

Then a high pitched, gleeful voice rang out over all of the other voices. "Mommy, look what I made in ART class!" The little voice sounded so happy and proud, I had to smile and chuckle a bit. Little did that student know I was upstairs with my window open, and that I would hear that gleeful little voice ring out so clearly above the rest. I'm pretty sure I even know exactly which of my 200+ students it was.

That was a nice moment. That little girl came skipping into my class today. While her excitement filled exclamation may have been mostly due to her positive personality, I can't help but to be touched and also excited to hear she's excited about what she made in art. Gotta love it!

Week 4 Reaction Post - The Whole Shebang

So my program here at Full Sail is wrapping up. I want to write "finally," but a part of me is going "has it been a year already?" So writing "finally" doesn't seem right. I am partially hugely relieved, and a tiny bit nervous about the last few parts and pieces of the whole shebang.

I am relieved for many reasons; to be done with my Master's and with the largest portion of my schooling. I view whatever classes I take from here on out as fun and easy classes to add to my art teacher base of knowledge. I look forward to these (while still highly challenging) "fun" classes. I also look forward quite a bit to having more free time. Time to get back to more regimented workout sessions. (I don't know about anyone else, but I put on a few pounds during this program, due to finding no available time to work out!) I am excited to spend time with my husband again. I look forward to work on projects on our new house that I haven't had time to do. I also look forward to camping trips this summer, and more time to spend with family.

It's a sacrifice going to school. It takes a lot of time and dedication (and we won't even talk money)! It is not an easy task, but it is a rewarding one.

I want this post to be a shout out to the program and to Full Sail and all the excellent staff (and students) I've worked with on this program. You've made the process bearable, and taught me a lot about technology and much more over the course of this program. I'm happy to have been a part of a program with such wonderful goals and aspirations for its students. I'm also happy to have been part of a program that is so practical and truly allows its students to engage in real life, applicable studies.

I can't wait to apply what I've learned at Full Sail to my teaching next year, when I have time to implement it and reflect on all I've learned over the summer. The gift of a Mac I can use at school, as well as all the fabulous programming will certainly not hurt me in my classroom. I can't wait to use free time this summer to go to Lynda.com and search for tutorials I didn't have time to view before. This will be an exciting summer and school year to follow!

Week 4 Reaction Post - Publishing 3

So I have found some journals I could publish to. I still haven't found anywhere to present my information. I did find an email from Joe Bustillos especially interesting, however. I kept thinking I had to create a presentation or write an article detailing most of my action research.

Then I found I only had to do the publishing part of the assignment on one portion or detailed part of my action research, and that made everything seem so much easier. A burden was lifted off my shoulders. Now I'm a lot more excited to get published, and wish I could find a place to present, not just get published in article form!

The great thing is, now I can do an article, and later present at a conference when one becomes available. I am so excited to do this, and my personal goal is to be published before the start of next school year. So my next step is to continue to prepare my write-up of my work, and to continue to narrow the market of where I will publish.

Week 4 Reaction Post - Trisha C

-”The action in this graceful game is ongoing integration. One by one, you bring everything tou have been resisting into the fold. You, as the board, make room for all the moves, for the capture of the knight and the sacrifice of your bishop, for your good driving and the accident, for your miserable childhood and the circumstances of your parents’ lives, for your need and another’s refusal. Why? Because that is what is there. It is the way things are.” (p.146)

Religious beliefs aside, we as human beings have been given/granted the freedom of choice and/or “Free Will.” We could all fall victim of circumstance, but it is what we chose to do with those circumstances that define who we are. By “becoming the board”, we become in essence the beacon of our own possibilities.

-”I have come to realize that people will do what they want to do ---which means that sometimes they will come to rehearsals and sometimes they won’t---and i must respect their decisions.” (p.153)

Ben has spoken much truth in his letter to Cora. I have to admit that although I have come to the same realization many times, I am still not at 100% of acceptance and continue to have this inner battle through the years that I have taught. I have let the fact that maybe not every student shares the excitement I have for a new unit or the literature get in the way of enjoying teaching the lesson. Each time I would let the hurt I felt chip away at how passionate I am about the subject matter. I am getting better and I revert to the words of my department head, “Your are the teacher, any tears shed should be theirs for the poor decisions THEY have made.” I am working on “Becoming the Board!”

WK Four-Being the Board

Sunday, May 23, 2010

1 Comment

Sunday, May 23, 2010 - 07:48 PM

Therese Lunsford

Trisha,

First I want to thank you for the comments on my last post. You speak encouraging words!

Second, I wanted to comment on this week's reading. I just wanted to congratulate you on being a reflective thinker. When I read the chapters, I often think of specific stories, students, or situations that the stories in the book would apply to in my life. I identify with your department head's comment, that student's poor decisions are their responsibility. While it's easy to say, it isn't easy to follow through, when some students seem to care less about themselves than we do. I'm currently struggling with high absenteeism this trimester at the high school, and kids who won't graduate unless they pass my class, since it's a requirement at the state level. I have to remind myself that it is their decision, and they can graduate this summer, (later) not now doesn't mean not ever. And it is their decision, not mine. Again, easy to say, not easy to understand. I also am working at "Becoming the Board...." luck to both of us! :)

Week 4 Reaction Post - Mel Rainey

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Mel Rainey 2010523 wk3 presentation possibilities.

Well over the past week, with ending school year stuff, I was able to get ideas of presenting at the Ohio Art Educators Association conference, Elyria City Schools Art Department professional development day and Elyria High Schools technology professional development seminar. I am limited to funds and time this year for presenting but that is my best option right now. I am looking at presenting with a key note presentation that includes my action research and the lesson possibilities in using technology as a tool. We shall see.

Week 4 Reaction Post - Reading Reaction Video

Here's a video response to this week's reading. Enjoy!

Week 3 Reaction Post - Lina Valery

Lina Valery's post:

In this interview Ron Smith shared a very interesting point with Dr. Ludgate and this is actually one of my “selling points” when it comes to homeschool parents incorporating more technology tools in their lessons. It is no secret that it takes a great deal of preparation for teachers to create media, digital stories, and e-learning tools to incorporate into their lessons. Yet, this prep work allows more one on one and independent learning when it comes to the actual lesson implementation.

This year I have begun implementing this theory with my own learners and while the road has been a bit bumpy, I must say this is due more to the fact that I am trying to incorporate what I am learning at Full Sail as I go. Although I know I’ll be able to do this more realistically once I have graduated, it’s important to keep in mind that with technology there is no finish line. There is always something new to learn and apply.

Still, this year has taught me a great deal about planning and organization. There are so many simple things I can incorporate into my daily life that could make me more efficient in the long run. Labeling pictures and videos with more detailed descriptions, keeping clean computer file folders, subscribing to the right RSS feeds, instead of all the ones I find interesting, time blocking, and one of my favorites using an online time tracker so that online research doesn’t turn into online surfing.

My reaction to Lina's post:

1 Comment

Therese Lunsford

Lina,

Wow, I can't believe how many things I identify with in your blog!

First, I felt the same way about the video for class. We can use media we create again and again, and that is one great argument for your case.

I have also been wanting to incorporate what I learn as I go, as you have, so you much be managing your time well, because I have found that impossible! I cannot wait until graduation to apply my new skills. I may be teaching a whole new curriculum next year, so I haven't put a lot of effort in to creating media I won't be able to keep. Hopefully next year I'll be able to do so, so long as I keep up with technology, as you point out one needs to do!

Good luck in all your efforts, especially organizing and staying focuses. That is a hard task, but from what I've seen of your work, it seems you are doing a truly GREAT job! (You and just a few others are the ones I look to for setting the standard!)

Wednesday, May 19, 2010 - 05:11 PM

Week 3 Reaction Post - Holly Leibham

Holly Leibham's post:

So my search has begun for journals or magazines where I feel would be good places to see about getting my article published. I am looking at NEA Today, Education Week, Teacher Magazine and Teaching Pk-8. I think these four places are a great jumping off point for me. Now that my summary is complete I need to focus on my website and writing my article. It is a little hard to get a handle on because I have never done this before. So I feel kinda blind going into this. I am happy that we are talking about them in wimba but still a little nerve racking and scary for me. I am hoping to get some great headings and then kinda piece my article together through the use of my website since that seems like it might be the easiest and work... we'll see! Off to work. Leaving you with a funny comic.

And her comic:

My reaction:

Holly, I'm in the same boat as you! I've narrowed down my search, but I've had a slight setback. I planned to publish by presenting at a local conference. Now after researching the website, I found the conference is not for the upcoming school year, but the one after that! So I wouldn't be able to present until 2011, and I'm not sure how well that will go over with Full Sail! So I may be starting fresh again, since I cannot afford to present at the conference next year, since it is away. Good luck in your search, I know making my decision wasn't easy, and when I made it, I was excited! So hopefully something similar will work out for me, and I hope you have no similar set backs! :)

Week 3 Reaction Post - Publishing 2 -MAEA?

I just found out something quite exciting. One place I could possibly present my action research is at the Michigan Art Education Association annual conference. The conference will be coming soon to Mt. Pleasant. I work for Mt Pleasant schools and live just 20 minutes outside of the city now. The great thing about that is, I didn’t know of any appropriate arts conferences I could present at besides this one. The cost of presenting out of my area would be too much. Last year the district paid for my conference attendance from money set aside for mentors and mentees. My mentee experience ended last year, so that $250 wasn’t available this year, and certainly won’t be next year. With the cost of all the fees associated with the conference, the $250 wouldn’t have been enough to pay for the fees and the additional hotel stay for last year’s conference, but luckily, the conference was held in Grand Rapids and my parents lived nearby. So I was able to afford the conference because the district was paying for the fees, and having someone to stay with made the conference affordable.

Having the conference within traveling distance should allow me to be able to afford to attend the conference. The only unfortunate thing is that even if you present at the conference (instead of attend as a participant), you still have to pay the same amount for the conference. I think if you present, you should either not have to pay at all, or get a reduced fee. But that’s just my personal gripe.

The only other hiccup I foresee is that I would miss two school days for the conference, and I might have to pay for my subs out of pocket. As districts are crunching the numbers and reducing and cutting, I know one reduction they keep making in our district is to cut our coverage by subs. If you’ll be out for any reason other than illness or bereavement, getting subs paid for by the district becomes an issue of late.

Other than some financial concerns, having the conference in my city of employment is very exciting, and will make my decision and process for publication so much easier.

Week 3 Reaction Post - Reaction to Reading

A few things this week moved me in this week’s reading. The first was the idea of downward spiral talk. I’ve had several dreams and ideas over the years, and unfortunately have learned not to share these with many of my friends and family. There are some I can share these thoughts and ideas with, but I’ve become a bit jaded when it comes to sharing with those who are dream stompers.

When it comes to dreams, passion is usually what ignites them. I identified with two stories in the last chapter for this week, the first was about Roz at the service station. When motivated by a dream, we can ask for something we normally couldn’t ask for. The other story was about a failing school and a dream to introduce music to the students there.

Every educator should be able to identify with a story about using our passion to reach students. Often I think that there is a fear that if one is too passionate we will alienate some students. While this may be true, we should be more concerned about alienating a greater number by lacking passion. It’s so easy to think it’s the kids who are unmotivated instead of that we may not be the teachers we wish to be. So educators need to reflect and think whether or not we are doing everything in our power to motivate all our students. While I truly believe it is unrealistic to think we will be able to hook every single kid every single time, I do think we should at least try. If we do our best bang up job, we can at least say we gave it our all.

Now if only I had that mindset and energy to follow through every day I teach! But I can work on it…..(to be continued!)

Week 3 Reaction Post - Publishing 1

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Here’s a short video reflection on some publishing options for my action research project.

Week 2 Reaction Post - Chapter 6

So if a rule in life is not to take yourself too seriously, one of thoughts was of a speech one of my students did recently. The assignment is for students to find a speech they really like, analyze it, and create their own speech from it by reading a portion of the speech and writing an introduction and conclusion for it.

In the realm of making this project easy for students who have the exact opposite problem, not liking to take themselves seriously, I allow a good variety of options to choose from. In the three years I've been teaching Speech and done this assignment, I've only had one speech chosen that was blatantly funny (a commencement speech by Will Farrell). My favorite choice was made this year, by a quiet and sweet student named Sam. She choose a speech with a fairly serious intent, but a casual and not too serious outcome.

The speech Sam choose to read from was made into a famous song, and was actually written by a woman named Mary Schmich who was a reporter for the Chicago tribune. The speech was mistakenly attributed to Kurt Vonnegut, and was later made into a song.

The great thing about this choice was that Sam wasn't taking herself or the assignment too seriously. It seems the author of the original speech was doling out advice in a casual and fun fashion, and therefore wasn't taking herself too seriously, either.

As educators, we do have a very important job, as we are at least partially responsible for students education and futures. It's very easy to get caught up in all of that, and maybe take ourselves a bit too seriously. Maybe we need to follow the examples set by Sam and Mary, and just have a little fun, and sit back and gain some perspective. Maybe a little reflection will occur, and we'll come up with our own message and/or advice!

Here's the video of Mary's advice:

The video at YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfq_A8nXMsQ

Read about Mary Schmich:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wear_Sunscreen

Week 2 Reaction Post -Trisha Cianfrocco

My response to Trisha's Week 2 Reading Reaction follows her post here:

I wish that I had this book my first few years of teaching. I couldn’t except the fact that I did not reach every single student in my class. I took everything to heart and started to reconsider the profession I chose, the career that was “my calling” in life. I thought that I would never get past that and started to hate going to work everyday and would cry silently during my planning period. It wasn’t until one of my students through a fit about reading Shakespeare with the others joining in that I thought was the last straw. I got this moment of awakening, remembering the journey I made to get here, and how much I love literature, especially Shakespeare. “This is my passion”, I thought and decided to be myself and show my students that passion. The very next day (no exaggeration) that one student that had the fit, walked into my classroon waving a book in my face, shouting, “see! see! what have you done!... I am reading Hamlet!!!” I knew then what I needed to do everyday, SHOW MY PASSION! Stay true to myself so they will stay true to themselves.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

2 Comments

Saturday, May 15, 2010 - 09:01 PM

joe bustillos

I can see it now, "Damn you, teacher, because of you I learned something. Argh!" Too funny. And truthful.

Saturday, May 15, 2010 - 09:56 PM

Therese Lunsford

Trisha,

I love what you have to say here. I feel too often that we are caught up in the bureaucracy of teaching that we forget why we're hear in the first place. You are so correct, especially for those of us who are secondary or specialty teachers. We got into teaching because we love our subjects, and the kids as well.

I'm sorry to hear that you had such a rough patch at the start of your career, but I'm very glad you toughed it out! There are many young teachers who would benefit from your sharing that you've had that experience, and you've done that here! It's good to know none of us are alone in our feelings.

Week 2 Reaction Post - Beckie Lamborn

Week one reading proved a creative feat. I used a PDF preview from the Internet that provided the majority of the first three chapters. Now in week two with a hard copy in hand two topics come to mind, one referring to the chapter on “Giving an A”, and a second comment from the chapter “Leading from the Chair”.

I was reminded of the importance of music and the impact it has on the emotions of young children after reading (p.43) the Zander’s story about the violinist from his orchestra. The story is about a little 5 year old girl whose aunt was the violinist mentioned. The aunt had made up a fairy tale story about the music she had been playing (Mahler’s 9th Symphony), but after repeatedly hearing the music the little 5 year old asked for the “real story” behind the music. Learning that the music was really about the life of a dying man, whose childhood had been surrounded by the death of his 7 sickly siblings, an alcoholic father, invalid mother, and later the death of his own child didn’t deter the child’s interest in the piece and makes me realize the depth of children’s capabilities. The child recognized that the story was not about a fairy tale princess, and she recognized the emotional quality in the piece. Zander’s recounting of the incident makes me want to hear this classical piece with the dramatic sound that caught the ear of the little five year old. With the invention of YouTube I actually have had the opportunity to listen to the music as performed by Myung-Whun Chung’s orchestra, and I have embedded the video above

Secondly, in the chapter about “Leading from the Chair” I was reminded of the many times, I ask my students to help each other out during an activity. Students in a Cuban and American orchestra came together to play a piece of music with a Cuban beat that was hard for the American players to perform. Even with the instruction of the Cuban conductor they could not get in sync. Zander suggested to the American students that they learn from the best teachers, the fellow Cuban musicians. The students taught each other and the music came together remarkably. Later playing an American piece the Cuban students learned from the American students. The conductors were essentially overseeing two groups and watching the leadership skills growing in the hands of their students.

I think it is a good learning experience for students to help each other not only because it develops leadership skills, but also because it can foster the development of good character traits like compassion and kindness. There are additional benefits that blossom from this kind of teaching. Students gain independence and confidence, and they also build connections strengthening their own understanding of the topics they are sharing with classmates. One of the most exciting activities that one of our fourth grade teacher does is she lets a student be the teacher for a day. Both teacher and students love the role reversal, and the day is always a memorable one for the children.

1 COMMENT

THERESE LUNSFORD

Beckie,

Your last few sentences in your last paragraph make me laugh. I wrote in response to the chapter reading this week about my almost accidental experience where I let a student be "art teacher" for a day - or class period, to be more exact. Of course, when it came to clean-up time, I had to take back over, but that was one of the most fun moments I've had as an elementary school teacher.

And thank-you for embedding the video, I am going to give it a listen! I look forward to looking over your AR work again very soon, too, now that I have the url from the MAC class document. It will be wonderful to see who your work compares to mine, as we both have a component of technology in art.

Saturday, May 15, 2010 - 09:19 PM

Mahler’s Symphony #9

as played on YouTube by

Myung-Whun Chung

Week 2 Reaction Post - Chapter 5

As a teacher, I am automatically a leader. While this position doesn’t always make me comfortable, it is a part of the job. If I were just a leader, I’d have no issues with my role, but the fact is that in my classroom I am the only leader, and this is where I sometimes have issue. However, I don’t share these feelings with my students, because I feel they might eat me alive if they knew what I was thinking.

There have been times when I handed over the reigns to my students. I don’t recall how or why it happened, but in response to what one of my elementary art students said, I responded, “Well, then, you be teacher for a bit….” And the young man jumped at the chance to run the classroom. While I sat down to work on a drawing, he walked around the classroom and did what I typically do; walk around and offer feedback to the students on their work, and offer help if they needed it. He told a group that was too loud to “bring the volume down” and generally did a pretty good job as a stand in for me. It was a fun moment for all of us, and had other kids begging to get to be “teacher for a day.”

In my speech class at the high school, I try to give the kids as many opportunities as possible to get up in front of the class as possible. When I do notes, sometimes I assign simple chapters to the kids to teach to each other. Small groups are formed and each group is assigned a part of a study guide, and each group has to present their portion of the notes as a small group. Therefore, they are also acting as my replacements for a brief period of time. Of course, they are communicating and publicly speaking as part of the exercise, which is highly relevant for a speech course. But even better, the students are engaging with the material in a wholly different way than what they are used to, so they have to look at the material from a teaching perspective. Some kids just go along with it, but some really get it, and you can see it in how they present the material. They take their job as teacher seriously, and it’s nice to see some kids respond this way.

I just think it’s always nice to share power, and to get everyone involved in the process. To make our students feel valued and appreciated should be one of our daily goals as educators.

Week 2 Reaction Post - Chapter 4

“Being a contribution” is a concept that should ring true for just about any adult. We put a lot of stock into our careers, our families, our relationships. We judge ourselves by these things, as well as measures as silly as the money we make.

The truth is, it’s hard to get away from these types of measures. Even in judging ourselves by our relationships, we’re valuing our selves based on other people. There are times when people in our lives are going to let us down, and we have very little to do with it. We have to learn to decide how much personal responsibility to take, and how much responsibility others should take.

In education, I think any teacher is automatically a contributor. So long as we take individual responsibility, and realize that what we do is very important (and not make the mistake of feeling self-important) for our students, we’ll be a contributor. In simply choosing a job where we are in a service type of position, we are contributing.

I was speaking with a friend years back, explaining to her how I had offended this waitress I worked with. I explained how I had said , “I don’t want to be a waitress my whole life,” and how another waitress, overhearing what I was saying to another young co-worker, defensively butted in and asked “why?” I immediately felt defensive myself, because what I had said wasn’t meant to pertain to anyone but myself. I hadn’t thought how it might sound to someone else standing nearby. The older waitress waited while I searched for an answer, and all I could come up with at that moment was that I wanted to do something more with my life. The other waitress stalked off, not satisfied with my answer. In explaining the situation to my friend, she didn’t understand my reasoning, either. She and I were currently working together, and I was trying to explain why what I said to the waitress shouldn’t be offensive. There is just a certain mindset that people who become teachers have that we need to do something more, give something back, to work a job that makes us feel like we’re making a difference. When I was in junior high, my best friend at that time totally understood. We both talked about becoming teachers “when we grew up,” and we both did just that. There is something about doing a job that is about a little more than making money, or chasing goals or attaining small scale rewards. I never did make my friend or that waitress understand what I meant, but at least I tried.

Reading this chapter summed up what I meant to say better than I ever could. I have a desire to be a contribution. To have the importance of my career not be everything I am, though it is a huge part of me. My contribution is determined by me, and I can give anything I want. The great thing is, as a young educator, I have a long road ahead, much to contribute and keep contributing, and a long way to grow.

Week 1 Reaction Post - What I LOVE About FSO & EMDT

So here's my latest post on video. From a (mild) rant in my last post to an ode to my general program here. In addition to what I say on the video, I can add this to why I love the EMDT program at FSO.

1. It's practical and directly applicable to my endeavors as a teacher.

2. It's flexible and works around my full time job.

3. Scholarships make it a pretty cheap Master's program.

4. You really do learn a lot.

5. It is, occasionally, FUN! (Call me crazy....)

Week 1 Reaction Post - AR Troubles

As an educator conducting research for my Master's program, I find the most frustrating part of doing the work is finding the motivation to do the work.

It's not as though I don't find the work or the research interesting. Obviously I do, or I would not have chosen the topic I choose. So I have to ask myself, what is my problem? Is it my fundamental procrastinator nature? Is it that housework suddenly becomes far more interesting when it competes with homework?

The truth is, I think the biggest dilemma is that I sometimes feel like I might be missing out on something....I have to say better, but that is the possibility. I could be spending time with my family, my friends, or even my colleagues.

The worst part is, I don't mind doing my assignments for my program all that much. The assignments force me to acquire new skills and assess myself as a teacher. Not bad, right? I enjoy gaining new skills and working with my classmates, and connecting with them and my professors in different parts of the nation. I also have to admit, I think the fact that assignments have grades attached is more an incentive than it should be for me, a graduate level student. I'm being honest here, though, so I have to admit, an A motivates me. Like I wrote in my first week one blog post, I use it as a tool to motivate my students as well.

So, if my problem is that I feel I'm having to miss out on fun experiences, I have to reason it out. I have to be honest in saying I find reporting part the research portion of my program the least interesting of the program. It may be a confidence issue as well, I sometimes think, "who's going to care about this research of mine in a few years." I also have trouble finding relevant research that aligned with my own research, and am having a bit of trouble revising my literature review as of.

While there is no real solution to the problem of lack of interest in this part of my program, I know I will complete it to the best of my ability. I know from speaking with classmates that I am not the only one who feels this way. I also know I enjoy a lot of the pieces and parts of this program, and since there is no clear project to report on this week, maybe my next blog can be an ode the things I LOVE about this program.

Vent session over and out.

Week 1 Reaction Post - Therese Josephson

Week 1 Reading: The Power of Mahler 9 (and Beethoven) by Therese Josephson

There was one anecdote in the first three chapters that really grabbed me--the story about the 5 year old girl, Katrine, and Mahler’s 9th Symphony.

Zander’s point is clearly summarized in his last sentence on the topic: “It reminds me how seldom we pay attention to, or even look for, the extraordinary in children--how seldom we give children an A” (p. 46).

This is certainly true, even for educators, I think. How often do we fail to recognize the unlimited potential of the young minds we work with on a daily basis? I know that I am guilty of it on occasion--though I’m taking Chapter 2 from the book as a strong reminder not to. What would our students be capable of if they knew that we thought they were capable of anything?

But, honestly, that’s not why this passage was so powerful for me. The thing that is really striking me about this book is that, because it is written (or half-written) by a musician, there are a lot of implicit messages about the power of music. That a five year old girl can be so moved by Mahler’s 9th Symphony, largely because of the (autobiographic) story that the music tells, is a very moving idea. I had a similar experience with a 7th grade orchestra class the other day.

This group is collection of nice kids, but one of the least focused that I work with, and not always easy to motivate. They are working on an arrangement of the final movement of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony. (For those without a music history background, Beethoven’s 5th Symphony starts with a very ominous 4 note motive--I can guarantee you’ve heard it before, but ends with a very triumphant Finale. It is generally assumed that the piece was Beethoven’s statement that he would overcome the tragedy of losing his hearing.) They love it! Mostly because, I think, they can relate to the idea of someone or something telling them that they can’t do something, and the desire to prove the world wrong.

When they played it in class the other day, I asked them, “Why do you think you sound better on this piece than anything else you play?” It is definitely not the easiest piece they are working on. They replied, almost in unison, “Because it’s our favorite.” I asked, “Did you think you were going to like Beethoven?” and they told me, “No.”

Music is powerful. It speaks to us in universal themes, even when it was written centuries ago. My seventh graders now understand this. That is cool.

My reaction to Therese's blog post is as follows:

I find it so interesting how we all read the same three chapters, and are all moved by different stories or parts.

As an art teacher, I identify with a lot of what you say, even if it's in a roundabout way. It is a wonderful feeling when you have those moments of elation where a student connects with what you're teaching; because music is, of course, something that is very important to you. It's not only a validation for us as teachers, but also for us as appreciators of our own speciality.

On another note, I'm enjoying the reading very much. I'm also pleased to be reading stories from another specials teacher, and I'm enjoying the fact that I get to see things from a music teachers perspective in that way. Your blog also allows me to do that, and I certainly feel in our current economy that we specials teachers need to stick together; to display our passion, intelligence, and love for the arts.

Saturday, May 8, 2010 - 01:41 PM

See the other Therese's blog post here:

http://web.me.com/josephst/MAC_Blog/Blog/Entries/2010/5/5_Week_1_Reading__The_Power_of_Mahler_9_(and_Beethoven).html#

Week 1 Reaction Post - Beckie Lamborn

Blog Post Title: Wk1 activity (eg. reading) BY BECKIE LAMBORN

When reading the Art of Possibility, the first thing that came to my attention and started my head swirling about the world of possibilities in our lives was the idea of varied perceptions and how some things can be important to one person but not to another. The example in Zander’s book pointed out the Me’en people of Ethiopia who viewed a photograph and did not know what it was or that there was an image of something depicted on this piece of paper reminds one to be conscience of differences in people and cultures. NOt everyone views things with the same weight or measure of importance. While others may not agree, the above video shows an African culture that sees the expansion of lips as a beautiful thing,.

With the shrinking of our world we are bringing more cultures together that are different in many ways, and it is important to respect those differences. And now in this developing age of open source writings and knowledge building fueled by Internet communications and connections, sharing with others becomes a central theme. From the time we are little toddlers we are taught to share and play nicely with others, and now as adults the toys we must share consist of information, knowledge, and communications. Whether that sharing is done “freely” or not is still evolving, but the community mindset that is evolving is encouraging.

Exercising and activating the mind through the sharing and building of ideas, makes for a rich and stimulating life. Setting up a mindset that looks beyond assumptions and perceptions and embraces differences, while including values such as respect, compassion for others, and sharing, may be the common values that bring this big world of differences together.

My response to Beckie is as follows:

Beckie,

As usual your insights are on point. Our world is certainly shrinking culturally, and as our exposure to other worlds increases, so should our curiosity and empathy.

I agree fully that we should respect other cultures and allow exposure to those other cultures to expand our own horizons. As a fellow art teacher, I know as well as you that without cultures meeting, mixing, and then overlapping, that our worlds would be weaker for it. And not only in the realm of art.

The video is a nice addition to your thoughts. Art and expression are everywhere and our cultures are a direct reflection of that. Thanks for the thought provoking reaction and video!

See Beckie's blog here!

http://web.me.com/blamborn/Media_Course_Month11/Week_ONE/Entries/2010/5/5_Week_One_Reading_%22Possibilities%22!.html#