Taking my education seriously - 2

After my experience with not being prepared for an exam (which I somehow managed to get an 84% on), I have worked harder at keeping up with my school work and readings. I rarely attend class without doing the reading, and always feel a bit out of sorts if I don't do the assigned work.

I have especially valued the field placement experiences this semester. I am observing and working with a 30+ year veteran of instrumental music instruction. I have learned a lot about the value of having a classroom routine. The children thrive on the routine more than I imagined they would. They seem to rely on it to know how to direct their behavior.

I've also learned how to use several new tools in the classroom to great positive effect. The first is rhythm sheets. The second is scale studies. I have taken these and applied them directly to my classroom. I can already see the benefits in my orchestras.

Being a life-long learner means that I will need to keep learning new things from other teachers. I'm glad for the experiences of observing other teachers and the ways that I learn through them.