Music to my Ears

Teamwork

STEM work

Teaching a class is like tuning a guitar. It requires the right amount of tension to create beautiful sounds.

Like a guitar string, a class that’s too tense will be sound sharp and unpleasant. Too much tension will cause a string – or a student – to break. 

Finding Joy in Creating...

… and Building

But too little tension is equally problematic. If too little tension is applied to guitar strings, the sound will be flat. Similarly, when the class is too slack, too lazy, too careless, when expectations are low and misbehavior is ignored, the class suffers.

So as a teacher I’m constantly fine tuning my class. I’m listening and observing. Is the work too hard? Am I expecting too much? Are the students losing their joy of learning? Or do I need to tighten up and make sure I’m not lax in discipline? Do I need to push a little harder and insist on excellence?  

Working on Phonics ...

… and Listening

… and Reading

… and Writing

Word Work

I’m constantly making small adjustments to make sure all students are becoming the best they can be.

If you play guitar, you’re likely familiar with harmonics, the beautiful chiming sound you can produce if you position your finger on the twelfth fret and pluck a string. To create harmonics, the guitarist doesn’t press on the string, but rather touches it lightly with the fingertip, plucks the string, then quickly removes the fingertip from the fret.

I think of harmonics on a guitar when I imagine what I want in my classroom…  beautiful, harmonious music that happens when children are making new discoveries and getting along with each other---without a lot of pressure from me.

And I hear that sound sometimes.

“Mrs. Kemp, I read the Snow book all by myself!”

“Look, there’s the equator on this map. We learned about the equator!”

“Look there’s our spelling word on the menu. Rice!”

“He shared with me.”

It’s music to my ears.