yhmusicteacher - Tumblr blog

[yhmusicteacher]

Cookie Summer

This past summer I worked my school district's Summer School Lunch Program. It was grab-and-go for the day's lunch and the next day's breakfast. Three of us were out in Square State's June and July sunshine, rain, heat, humidity, and wind handing out lunches and breakfasts through car windows, into backpacks of bike riders, balancing plastic bags on handlebars of bikes and scooters to send students home with food! The Summer Lunch Program offered by the Federal Government is a great program! My district fed 12,000ish lunch and around 11,900 breakfasts in my community.

So many parents, grandparents, & day care providers were so grateful for the food. We got so many Thank you's and words of appreciation as we sweated like crazy! One parent brought us Sonic Drinks (midwesterner), on my birthday one parent who I'm friends with on Facebook, handed me a birthday treat, kids made us Thank you cards and one parent handed us two gallon-sized zip top bags full of Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies!

These were the BEST Oatmeal C-C-C's I've ever had! Even the crumbs at the bottom of the bag were great in a bowl with milk over them one morning!

The parent who gave them to us has a fifth grade girl at my school! I saw her yesterday for Music Class and mentioned that I needed to get a hold of her mom and ask her for the recipe! What did I find on my desk when I came in at 11:30 from my other school (traveling teacher) but the recipe!

Here's a cool picture:

Now this may not mean anything to most people, but as a teacher it is the cutest thing!

First of all this 5th Grader, L, took the time to tell her mom about what I said.

2nd: She and her mom found the recipe.

3rd: She found a notebook and copied the recipe from wherever in her house to a piece of paper.

4th: She did this with all the cool pens she owns!

Imagine this: This 10 y/o Girl finds the recipe, finds a notebook, brings out her cute colorful pens, she's maybe sitting at a kitchen table, or a desk in her room, or lying on a hard surface floor. She possibly takes a moment to arrange the pens in order of use and then beings carefully coping the recipe, deciding which pen to use with which ingredient or step. Those with daughters, nieces, or even former 10 y/o girls (like me!) know exactly what I'm talking about!

So Sweet!

I can't wait to make the recipe!

[yhmusicteacher]

T-Rex Roar

Last week one of the 5th grade classes at Public School was entering the Music Room for class. We are in the midst of Recorder right now so there was a bit of chaos going on as we were getting recorders passed out and people were settling down to get started.

Amongst the chaos I heard some students singing a song from a movie. This song didn't have any words, it was part of the main score and they were "Do, Do, Do-ing" the melody. The song they were "Do-ing" was the original theme to Jurassic Park.

I piped up and said: "I know that movie! I was in high school when it came out! It was a big hit"

All the little boys started exclaiming their love for the franchise and how they wished there was an actual dinosaur theme park where they could pet the animals etc....(*Eyeroll* they be crazy....they gonna get eaten)

More students started "Do, Do, Do-ing' the song and I joined in! They were mostly on pitch so I complimented them and said: "You guys are sining well! the only thing you're missing is the big T-Rex roar..you know 'RRRAAAWWWWRRR'"

Of course they all start Rawr-ing because I did....

I start calling them quiet, but they start "Do-ing" the song again...

I thought: "I'm gonna get that roar in...I'm gonna make this awesome"

I quickly went to YouTube and searched "Jurassic Park T-Rex Roar." I didn't want the any of the scenes, just the sound bite. Of course Youtube has everything! I found the 6 second sound bite of the T-Rex roaring...it was the scene in the rain in the original movie where the t-rex was chewing on the overturned jeep after eating the lawyer sitting on the toilet...can you picture it?

Anyway, I made sure my computer was Bluetoothed to my big Bose Speaker System and turned up LOUD....then I waited....(evil laugh...hehehehe)

It didn't take long....The class started "Do, Do Do-ing" the melody again, I bided my time...waiting for the exact moment to hit Play on the computer...

"RAAAWWWRRRR!"

The entire class freaked out! It was the funniest thing I had seen all year! There was a Para in the room too, she was belly laughing as loud as I was! One girl was was so startled that she started laugh-crying! She asked to go to the bathroom!

To all the teachers out there: Gotta take time to find the joy and funny when you can in education!

[yhmusicteacher]

Popular Cat

For the last couple of Thursday's I have come to realize that my cat is more popular than anyone else in the 1st grade class at the Catholic School.

Whaaaa?

Background: I teach Music in a Church Basement for the local Catholic School. If someone comes across this post, there are many references to the Church Basement on my full blog. Anyway, on Thursdays I cannot really teach anything as it is Adoration Day in the church proper above me. People are praying, doing devotions, and the host (I think have this right) is present in the dohicky where the host lives on the alter....I'm not Catholic. I am unsure of the vocabulary.

So, on Thursdays I show music videos to my students. There are amazing channels on YouTube that have quality kid-friendly content that student love. Home Free, Piano Guys, some Pentatonic, One Voice Children's Choir, Peter Hollens, Voice Play, Geoff C from Voice Play's solo stuff....all kinds of great music. I have a bunch downloaded thanks to a great app called Clip Grab.

To run the videos I have my MacBook hooked to the TV. When my first graders come to class, the Screensaver has usually popped on and I have a scrolling marquee of photos. Some are interesting/funny photos I've pulled off the internet and some are photos of me and my life, INCLUDING my cat, Seamus.

The first graders have taken too cheering whenever pictures of Seamus pop on. While they are waiting for a cat photo to come up I hear them chanting: "Sea-mus, Sea-mus, Sea-mus...." until one comes up and then cheering ensues!

It is the funniest, weirdest thing....my cat is popular.

[yhmusicteacher]

Learning Guitar?  Maybe?

I have owned a Yamaha Guitar for a few years now. It's a basic student model I won in a silent auction at a Music Conference. I have been trying to self-teach myself how to play off an on for about 5 years. You'd think that during the pandemic I would have picked up a new skill like all the "sourdough bread" people, but never had any desire.

3 years into the pandemic and all of a sudden, here I am sitting at my piano with the Hal Leonard Book 1-3 and the "my library" site open on my phone cursing my fat fingers and trying to keep my cat from being "helpful" by stealing/biting the pick out of my fingers.

I'll see how it goes!

[yhmusicteacher]

Return?

I haven't posted in about a year. All last year I just didn't feel...up to posting. I know writing a blog or in a journal can be excellent for one's mental health, but I just up to it. I'd think about posting all the time...."I should really get back on Tumblr"....but alas....I just sat back down on my couch and watched more...everything.

I'm going to try to be more diligent about posting. I do truly want to tell stories of teaching, answer any education questions people may have, be part of the collaborative education community, and just be introspective about the past academic year and the current academic year already in progress for me.

For those who follow my blog, thanks for sticking with me. My goal for 2022-2023 is to continue to serve my school district to the best of my ability, continue to take care of my mental and emotional health (as we all should), have fun and enjoy "the moments" in teaching, life, nature, and to find peace.

[yhmusicteacher]

Weird conversations!

Conversation 1: In a music room with a bunch of Orff instruments, tubanos and gathering drums set up in a grid for some reason on the topic of dinosarus.

Student: Miss. B! We're talking alot about dinosaurs in Music Class...

Me: Yeah, sorry...we got off on a odd track. Y'all ready to Mallet Madness!?!

Class: YESS!!!

Different Student: Miss. B! Do you know how the dinosaurs died?

Me (This oughta be good): How?

Student: So there was this big flood and it wiped out all the dinosaurs and the bad people because they weren't allowed on Noah's Ark. Only certian animals and Noah's Family were allowed and the dinosaurs and sinners weren't.

Me pursing my lips trying not to roll my eyes: Alrighty then! Lets start Mallet Madness!

--------

Conversation 2: In a noisy music room while students were getting settled at the beginning of class.

Girl Student with pretty blue hair: Miss. B, I need to sit in the front today. I have lost my glasses!

Me: Oh my, Do you have an idea where they may be? Like at home or some place here at school?

Girl: They're at home, I know they are. You see my family practices a form of Witchcraft and my mom is pretty sure that the faries took them!

Me wondering if I had heard her correctly: Oh Ok! Will you be able to get them back?

Girl: Yeah...we just have to gift the faries with something shiny!

Me without missing a beat: Well alright then I hope y'all are successful...do you want to just be at this front station today?

Girl: Yeah! Thanks!

Me thinking: Did I just hear her correctly? Well, I have to accommodate all religions...so alright ...whatever...not my business...

------------

Noah's Ark, Dinosarus, Witchcraft, Faires all within 48 hours....teaching is never dull...

[yhmusicteacher]

Officially Ancient

Scene: 4th/5th Grade Music Class, Music Video Day, VoicePlay's Video Game Video.

4th Grader: I know that video game! I play it on my Grandma's SEGA with my Cousins! It's Fun!!

Me Looking at the screen: Sigh..he was talking about the origional Mortal Kombat.

[yhmusicteacher]

A Fruity Summer

A Summer Job

This summer I spent most of my time working in one of Small Town's local grocery stores. I have worked there before as a checker mostly. However, this summer I was once again in the Produce Department. My only job all summer was to cut fruit.

Watermelon, Honeydew, Cantaloups, Pineapples, Strawberries mostly. Athena's when they came into season

I worked the floor occasionally, but mostly 99% of the time, I was at a cutting board attached to an industrial garbage disposal cutting fruit for pre-cut mixed fruit bowls, pre cut watermelon bowls, cantaloupe bowls, pineapple bowls, and some berry bowls too. I also created the Fruit Trays for peoples BBQ's or family Reunions or whatnot.

The price mark-up on the bowls was HUGE. Example: One whole watermelon (not cut by me) costs around $3.99-5.99 each depending on sales and distributor prices. Once cut, bowled, and tagged by me that watermelon was worth $2.98 PER POUND! So each bowl could cost anywhere from $2.50-4.00 each. On average I got six bowls out of each watermelon which takes me about 5 minutes to cut down from whole to half to quarters to rind off to containers.

Anyway, The point of me working 25 hours a week during my "summer vacation" was debt reduction. Student loans. 18th year of teaching this year, still hacking away each month on those loans. I'm getting so damn close. That masters degree...man...EX-Pensive.

I only worked 4-ish hours a day, but I worked 6 days a week.

I actually started working before the end of the 20-21 school year in the evening....I was exhausted.

So I ended the school year exhausted due to what last year was like for all teachers everywhere and I started the summer exhausted.

For about a week, I slept in, worked for 4 hours, napped, ate, went back to bed.....I was exhausted..I felt like I was coming out of a fog.

I went to the pool, played tuba in my local city band, taught piano lessons on my one day off, spent time with my family (making up 2020), went to every doctors, dentist, vision, appointment I could to, once again, make up for 2020....but I worked.

There's a rhythm to cutting fruit. What would take me a good solid 4 to 4.5 hours to cut, bowl, tag, and rack back in May, now takes me about 3 hours. Muscle memory is an amazing human muscular thing.

That rhythm, that muscle memory helped me exorcise this past year out of my system. The stress, the sadness, the worry. I would catch myself cutting fruit and clenching my teeth. I would catch myself cutting fruit and thinking about my 1st grader who got hit by a car in September '20 and passed away. Cutting fruit and thinking about the week I fought Covid in September '20. There was many times that I would be cutting fruit and fighting back tears.

You know kind...the kind that only comes when a body is at a heightened state of awareness/stress/anticipation/worry...a heightened state of, well everything, and then all of a sudden that heightened state levels off or lowers significantly.

Most of June was exorcism.

Most of July was anticipation, wonder and maybe some hope...I mean there is a vaccine...sadly a new variant, but still....a vaccine.

I was physically sore many days after a shift because I'm overweight and standing for several hours at a time hurts, but mid June the fog lifted and through July I felt a shift in myself.

I have reduced my hours from 25 to 10 because...

2021-2022 has started for Small Town.

It is still a bit tiring to be doing two jobs but I really want to see the summer through. I started right before Memorial Day and my

My Fruity Summer ends Labor Day.

[yhmusicteacher]

Workday Backlash

In January the PubSch District instituted a one day a month workday for all its certified teachers. K-8 whole day, 9-12 they got a half work day. I was so happy! What a relief! Time to work to meet the needs of online and in person students! HOT DAMN!

Then I paused....what about the CathSch? What are their plans. Was I going to have to teach on everyone else workday?

PubSch Principal verified that yes, I and my counterpart PE teacher get the ENTIRE day to work in our PubSch classrooms.

That lasted one workday.

After that, the CathSch did EVERYTHING they could to not have to loose their music/pe plan time one day a month. Day exchanges, don't have to come to this staff meeting on this day, won't need you on this day at the end of the year.

The exchanges never added up....We were going to be screwed out of a half workday or two.

Then the PE Teacher asked for the last workday here in May to be a full workday for us. She had to plan/solidify Field Day. I wasn't going to push it, because I just didn't have the energy for the fight.

LOW AND BEHOLD! The Assistant Superintendent stood up for us and we had a full workday. OH did that piss off the CathSch Principal.

Fast Forward to the last week of school.

The K-5 Catholic Kids are on a field trip, there is no Music/PE today, we still have to teach this afternoon at our PubSch so we can't go on the field trip. PE Teacher "K" and I were expecting to be able to go up to the PubSch and just work and be in that space.

Nope: CathSch Principal left a list of stuff for me and the PE teacher to do. Passive aggressive revenge for that one workday?

I took on part of the list, PE Teacher "K" is working on Field Day.

I got done with everything by 9:30am

One of the tasks: Call three places in town to see if their facility was available for use in case of weather on CathSch Field Day. So on behalf of the Catholics, I made three utterly useless phone calls.

Why useless:

I have zero authority to commit a school to a venue.

I have no authority to commit any cash to any venue.

I have no authority to decide which venue we use.

I can't control the weather.

I made the phone calls, left messages, told the venues that someone may be getting back with them later (not me) to possibly confirm.

Emailed the principal everything I learned.

She got the busy work done, but only sorta....I mean ultimately she has to make a decision?!?

And now I'm blogging to pass the time.

Can the school year be over yet?!?!

[yhmusicteacher]

Too Much Emotion

Scene: 2nd graders singing their Music Program Songs, God Bless the USA, Church Basement, CathSch.

2nd Grade Girl loudly singing and full of arm flair, K: AND I'M PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN BECAUSE AT LEAST I KNOW I'M FREEEEE...STAND UP! NEXT TO YOU...

2nd Grade Boy (who stands next to K) after the song is complete in a very serious voice, R: Miss. B, there is way too much emotion next to me. It's weird. Can we calm it down?!?

Me, sick and tired of Patriotic Music: Yeah, let's take a break!

Spring Music Programs are almost over....

[yhmusicteacher]

Controversial New Discovery...

For all of my fellow Americans this is going to seem weird to y'all, but I have discovered something about my work-life that I have gradually come to really dislike...

I am an Elementary Music Teacher, K-5) in a small Flyover Square State Town. This very red state is very patriotic, very pro military, very honor our veterans. Now, please understand that I'm all about honoring our Military Vets, especially the ones that never CHOSE to serve, but were drafted *cough* pointless war *cough* during the 20th century.

However, what I have discovered this Spring may astound people.

I am not a fan of Patriotic Music. In fact I would be ok with never teaching that genre again...ever.

To quote Captain Sulu of the USS Enterprise: "Oh Myyyyy"

Granted, I'm prepping two schools, approximately 300ish students, for our annual Spring Programs (with covid protocols in place, of course....well except for one school....but thats a story for another day) which is me singing Patriotic Songs all day. Every Day. For 8 Hours a day. Over and over and over and OVER again...

*Bangs head against desk*

America may be made up of "Fifty Nifty United States" and "This Land" in theory is supposed "Your Land" (sadly we're still working on the practical application of the meaning of those lyrics in America), but I am sick of "God Blessing the USA" every couple of years at work. Why are patriotic songs so damn cheesy?

*Jump up and down with hand in air* "I know! I know!"

Cheesy Music is Easy. Easy to teach to students, easy for students to learn, and easy for parents to listen to in an audience.

And I get it, instilling a sense of civic, state, and country pride is important I guess, but man, can we get some better music to help Music Teachers do that? AND here are some questions I've asked myself several times: Am I brainwashing kids through music? Am I instilling a sense of blind loyalty?

Scary Thought.

Rant Over

*Outro Music begins* "First to fight for the right and to building the nation's might and the Army goes rolling along......"

[yhmusicteacher]

All right, from a teacher's perspective: I was a sophomore at University when the Columbine shooting happened! I live in a state that is next door to Colorado! I was studying music education with an intent to be a band director! My mom and dad called me a couple days after the shooting and asked me if I was considering changing my major! I of course said absolutely not and went about my life, receiving my degree few years later as a music educator! Over the course of my 17 years as an educator, I have taught K12 finally settling on the K-5 Elementary music field! After Sandy Hook, after Parkland, and many others who I can't remember at the moment I still wouldn't do anything different with my life. I have, in my career, woken up in a cold sweat after dreaming about an active shooter in my school. I have woken up in a cold sweat worrying about a child being abducted in my care. I have watched some of the brightest educators, colleagues, question their life choices after a monumental tragedy like Sandy Hook and Parkland. I have reconciled myself to understanding that it may be my responsibility to put myself in between an intruder with a gun and my third graders. Or my kindergarteners, first graders, second graders, fourth graders, or 5th graders! I don't step onto either one of my elementary schools (I teach music at 2 and traveling between each every day) without scanning the parking lot. I do recess Duty 5 days a week at one of my schools and my head is always on a swivel not only for the care of the students, but I am looking at cars driving by, random people walking around in the neighborhood that I don't recognize always wondering and watching if something's going to happen. "Who is that and what are they doing here?" is my constant question while I am while I am at work. If I don't recognize somebody on my school's campuses I will aggressively/confidentially walk toward that person with a smile and a greeting just in case my being in the way (with my 5' 10" German peasant woman ancestry frame and too many birthday cupcake hips) deters a possible tragic situation. I don't live and work in some place with a high crime rate! I live in Middle America safe small community. However, watching tragedy unfold live in front of our own eyes through the internet or television, practicing the drills, teaching the students what to do in the event of an active shooter, and having my heart rate jump every time the PA system "Bing bongs" right before a random announcement is on par with what educators go through in a school year, normal school year.

Tragedies like school shootings don't just happen in big cities with lots of crime in America, they happen anywhere, everywhere.

Do any other american high schoolers have intense survivor’s guilt and trauma with school shootings even though they weren’t at your school?

[yhmusicteacher]

Scientists and Santa

Me Queuing up a Pentatonix Video to my 1st graders: Alright this video is different than you are used to because Pentatonix are singing in Korean.

1sts: Whaat?

Me in dramatic fashion: PTX has fans all over the WORLD! They have toured in France, England Germany, America, and Japan, Korea and I think Taiwan too! As a thank you to their fans from Korea they covered bunch of songs from their country and culture. It's called K-Pop!

Couple of 1sts: Oh Yeahhh! I think I've heard of that!

Me: Yeah?! Alright, so this video is in two languages Korean and--

Interrupting 1st Grader being silly in a high cute voice: Have they been to the North Pole!?

Me chuckling: Nooo...no one lives at the North Pole..only scientists who study things go there!

1st Grader looking all concerned: WAIT, What About Santa? Does he see the scientists?

Me Thinking: Oh shit don't ruin their innocence...ALERT ALERT...lie like my pants are on fire!! Quick Make up a story!!!

Me to the Class: Oh Yeah sure! Santa sees the Scientists all the time. They visit his workshop, get to see AND pet the reindeer in their barn stalls, visit Mrs. Clause. It's part of the journey to the North Pole study station! (research is too high level word for 1st grade)

1st Grader: WOW! They get to pet the reindeer!?!?

Me: Sure! I'm sure they get some hot cocoa from Mrs. Clause too!

1st Grader: I wanna go to the North Pole!

Me: Well maybe someday! Right now it's time to watch this PTX video! Reminder, they sing in Korean and English!

1st Graders: Ok!

Me Thinking: Whew! Pulled one out of my ass today!!

[yhmusicteacher]

Shoes

First Grader (Ike): Miss. B are my shoes on?

Me looking bewildered: Yeeahhh Ike ...your shoes are on your feet??!?

First Grader: No...are my shoes ON?!?!

Me seeing the lit-up soles: Oh..yeah...one is red and one is off.

First Grader: Dang it I thought I turned them both off!

Me: You got some fancy shoes! Shiny and Lit!

Other First Graders: Miss. B said lit...she's funny!

Kids and their accessories!

[yhmusicteacher]

Parking Lot Sing-a-long Program

In Square State the December Weather was beautiful!  We have yet to get accumulating snow in my area. We have had rain, but no snow.  

Why am I talking about the weather?  Context y’all!  I’m gonna talk about the oddest yet coolest Music Program I have ever led/organized...ever.

This year the CathSch had a “Christmas Parking Lot Sing-a-Long” Program. Whaaa?  A Program in the parking lot?  How did everyone fit?!?

The Catholic community in Small Town have a pretty big parking lot for what many would consider a smallish CathChurchSchoolParishHall Campus. The lot was designed for weddings, funerals, social events, community outreach and parking for the school.  

I was on shift at the local grocery store, bored out of my skull in register 3 waiting for customers when I thought of this concept.  I knew we couldn’t be in the HS auditiorium without handing out an allotment of tickets/family, which would make people upset, I knew there were many anti-maskers in the community who would hate the fact that ALL the schools require masks, AND since the program would be in December and I was brainstorming in June, I had NO CLUE what the rules would be regarding live performances 6 months away. 

So in August I brought up the idea to the Principal who stared out her office window at the parking lot for a few minutes and then said: “I love that idea!  Let’s plan on that!” 

Whew....I had managed one hurdle!

Forward on to December...

The principal and I decided where Old Behemoth the upright Piano, a borrowed portable sound system, laptop and yes, annual 5th Grade Nativity Play were all going to be staged and we worked from there. 

Students stayed with their families, the 5th grade families had first priority seating as did last year’s “Preferential Seating at the Christmas Program” Auction Donor winners and EVERYONE was required to space 6 feet apart AND wear Masks.

I spent 6 weeks teaching students the standard Christmas carols that everyone knows.  Some secular mostly sacred though.  I had a couple of cute songs where students stood up and did actions or claps (claps=drums). The event was a true test of my piano skills as I did all the accompanying and chuckle worthy MC’ing.  

The 5th Graders used The ChurcBsmt Music Room as a green room because the costumes are stored down there anyway, I rolled Old Behemoth down the sidewalk, set up a table for the sound system and laptop, ran an extension cord/power strip out one of the Pre-K classroom windows and that was it!

The weather was perfect the week of the Sing-a-Long.  

Until the night of....

A cold front came through...

In Square State a cold front also equals WIND!  LOTS OF WINDY BLUSTERY  WIND! This type of wind cut deep in to your bones straight out of the north so it was a COLD WINDY BLUSTERY TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY WIND! 

So I’m clamping down my music books, taping sheet music to Old Behemoth, using other books to hold books on the Piano, stopping in the middle of my quirky MC-ing to pick up books, teachers are helping by holding books when the gusts start going, I’m playing one handed while shoving a book back on the piano stand....ugh...windy...

People are sitting in lawn chairs under blankets with portable propane heaters. in contrast I was in just a hoodie because I was boiling hot..

....except for my fingers, they went numb....Oh Little Town of Bethlehem was a pretty sad town because my finger kept slipping off the F# during the Nativity Play....

But the reviews.....

I was so worried that I and the principal were gonna get hate.  This poor woman has had to hear EVERY DAMN COMPLAINT from everyone during 2020 and the absolute last thing I wanted was her to get angry emails and calls. I was ready to take all the bullets on this one for her!  I even made sure to acknowledge the changes and thank every for their patience and understanding in the parent letter that went home.  I mean I laid it on as syrupy thick as I could in a one page note home.

Then in the 6 weeks between when the letter went home and the Sing-A -Long itself I was literally awake at night with thoughts like:  “everyonesgonnahateit-itsnotnormal-itsoutside-theywontseetheirkidsperformsotheyregonnanotcome-theyregonnahatethesongs-whathappensifitssnowingandtheshowgetscancled-whathappensifthebackupdatedoesntworkandwecanthaveitatall?!?!” 

However, the Reviews were great!  Everyone seemed to be either fine with, ambiguous to, or loved the odd format!

Thank Goodness! 

I was at a local Mexican Eatery over the holiday break and a family who is famous *cough notorious cough* for being a burr in every educators side both at the CathSch and PSDistrict immediately said: “We loved your Christmas Pageant!” 

Thank Goodness! 

They paid for my meal too...

Post program clean up was a breeze!  I didn’t have to haul a truck load of props and costumes from the HS Auditorium BACK to the School and then spend the next week sorting, cleaning, and storing. Everything went back into the school or church basement within 30 minutes! A bunch of parents jumped up to be very helpful!  I love helpful Dads! Heave Ho and all the heavy stuff is put away!

Parents had decorated the windows and entryway with lights and cut outs!  it looked really neat! 

It was done and over quick...within an hour! 

That pesky cold front! (tehehe)

[yhmusicteacher]

T-Giving Break?

We made it to November? Woah!  

There were some hitches in our giddyup’s, but my district made it. 

If I said that sentence to the Middle School and K-1 buildings and they would probably throw their computers at me.  They’ve been remote for 1 full week + 2 days.  

I have learned new things about teaching this Autumn.  This is a BIG one! 

Deadlines?  Due by Friday? Since when?  As a music teacher I've never had to really deal with a Due Date or its a Zero concept, especially at the Elementary Level.  The amount of time classroom teachers spend emailing parents back and forth about missing assignments, and why missing, or why a zero, or excuse after excuse is staggering!  My ultimate wistful email or Canvas Message: 

Dear Parents: Your kid is a bum, they get a zero.  Stop making excuses for their lack of effort and your unaware parenting.  Never assume that your kid is telling the truth about school-work....double check your progeny. 

Dear Student: You are responsible for your calendar. CHECK IT.  The assignments are live links on the calendar.  Just tap and *POOF* you will be taken to the assignment!  The front page of Music Class Canvas has ALL THE INFO you need....Canvas is idiot proof, you miss a deadline, you are locked out....easy peasy deadlines are a thing in the real world squeez-ey! 

*eyeroll*

[yhmusicteacher]

There’s a website where you can learn ASL (American Sign Language) on your own, free and it’s a 31 Day program! The woman on there, her name is Rochelle Barlow, she runs the site and she actually is a homeschool teacher and teaches ASL. I am passing this on to some of you guys cause most of y’all on here is open-minded and curious and it is something important to learn.

I truly believe this site is helpful for some people who can not afford to going to ASL classes, or someone like me that just enjoys learning something new. This site will help with that. Once you sign up you will put in your email address and Rochelle sends you emails on tips on how to sign, gives you practice sheets, and gives you your weekly videos. And its all online. No need to paying for anything. (Unless if you want to she has something very different to this program) 

IMO and yes, this site is really amazing and is important because you never know if someone who is deaf or HOH needs help, if you end up losing your hearing ability this is something you will at least have on the back of your head, and it is just like any other language and should be taught.