As an educator, in fewer than 800 days you have experienced the ultimate in pivoting through no fewer than five major teaching modes.
If you taught prior to the pandemic, while things certainly weren’t perfect, the system in which you worked had some predictability. Maybe your classroom was like this piano, it was functional and in good shape. And your school, community, and our country had some systems in place to support your students, you as an educator, and what you did in your classroom.
Then came the pandemic. On March 13, 2020, we were forced into emergency remote teaching with absolutely no training. Not only did everything we ever learned about teaching in our classroom come crashing down around us, the support structures on which we were dependent came crumbling to a grinding halt, too. And we were left trying to figure out how to navigate this unfamiliar territory not only for ourselves but while also supporting our students (and our own families) and providing instruction, social and emotional support, safe spaces, and more.
A great solution to remote learning would be to teach in a hybrid situation, said no one who actually had to teach in this nightmare scenario. Now it kind of looked “normal” as a handful of students returned to school buildings while a lot more of them remained online. You found yourself serving students who were physically in your presence and online. No one won in this situation.
Ahhh… time to return to the buildings with mitigations. Musician masks, bell covers, absorbent pads for the spit droplets from instruments, social distancing, spraying down shared items, hand sanitizer and more. Our classrooms were full of students once again…and also full of lots of things that, while they helped slow the spread of the virus, added layers of challenges for students and for teachers. Everything felt so much harder with all of the extra safety measures, but we did them in order to continue to be able to make music together. We carried on.
And now here we are. For most of us, we are “back to normal.” By that I mean we’re back in our classrooms and most mitigation practices are optional. Let’s be honest – things really are anything but normal after all we and our students have been through. Two years of this merry-go-round of teaching environments has left us exhausted. Our students’ skills, needs, and social lives have been impacted by what they’ve been through. (Re)building programs requires a lot of intentional work, and as we consider what Music Ed 2.0 looks like, we are at a tipping point in Music Education.
Here’s the good news – you are an expert music educator. If anyone knows what to do to continue teaching students to express themselves as artists in spite of challenges and adversity they face, it’s YOU. Music education has been a huge part of shaping kids’ lives in the past and will continue to be so in the future … IF there are teachers like you who have vision, passion and stamina to do this important work.
Look at where you’ve been … and then think about where you want to go.
As you anticipate the 2022-23 school year, it feels like stepping into IKEA. There will be SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED.
Where do you begin to put together all the pieces of a post-pandemic music program? How do you intentionally (or mindfully) craft the kind of classroom space you want in this new era? So much has happened to us over the past couple of years. We’ve had to respond to situations that we couldn’t have even imagined just a few years ago. We’ve come to expect the unexpected and now is the perfect time to take stock of where we are, where our programs are, and where we want to go moving forward.
How will you prepare to put together a new year that gets you and your students on the track that best serves their needs? Have you thought about how you will take what you’ve learned and assemble something even greater than what might have been? Do you have a plan for doing this important work in a sustainable way, or are you so worn out that the thought of next year just causes you anxiety at this point?
This has been a rough couple of years. Our passion as music educators has been tested. For those of us who remain in the profession and who see the value in what students get through their experiences in our classrooms, finding ways to do this work in a way that is sustainable for us and for our students is critical.
The last thing you want to think about right now is next year, but in the back of your mind as someone who knows the value of long-term goals and planning, you know that if you’re going to be successful, you need to do some intentional work in this area before a new school year starts, but you likely don’t have the desire or bandwidth to take it on now. So what’s the solution?
When I have something that feels important or urgent and also overwhelming, I’ve learned that having the right supports in place is the key difference in success or failure. From learning to play an instrument and writing a book to public speaking and learning yoga, whenever the task at hand seems insurmountable, I’ve looked to others for support, ideas and inspiration. While that means investing my own time, energy and resources in a class, coach or opportunity, the return on investment always blows me away. It’s because having an expert who can coach me through my own blocks saves countless hours, weeks and months as I reach my goals with much more ease, joy and grace.
With summer approaching, you are undoutedly going to need some time to relax and recharge. Let me ask you a question. Will you enjoy your summer more knowing you have a few days set aside where you will intentionally plan your school year in a supportive and collaborative environment with hands-on and concrete strategies for your specific situation or will you enjoy it more if you figure it out on your own as you go?
I tend to be the person who is way more productive when I carve out specific time for specific tasks. It was when I hired someone who helps people learn to write books that I completed my first bestseller in 90 days. I had tried doing it on my own for years, but there was so much I couldn’t figure out on my own that I ended up just spinning my wheels. When I had someone guide me through the process, my ability to reach my goal happened so much easier and faster then when I struggled on my own.
Thinking about planning an upcoming school year that will be like none we’ve previously experienced can feel overwhleming, especially at a time when all you really need and want right now is to NOT think about what needs to be done to properly prepare for a successful new year when this year isn’t even over yet.
What would it do for your peace of mind and mental health if rather than having thoughts about next year hanging over your head all summer, you set aside a few days to do the work at a time and place and with the structure and support you need to help you plan for a school year that meets your students where they actually are and then grow from there? Would you be able to more fully enjoy the rest of your summer if you didn’t have to figure this all out on your own?
I’ve spent a lot of time sharing my strategies for doing this work in more sustainable ways, and as you approach summer, I’d like to share a few things to consider as you figure out how to best use your time while still being prepared for whatever the new year brings.
- Carve out time and space to do things that help you relax and recharge.
- Assess how your job impacts your physical and mental health and be curious about what you can do to find ways to do this work without it negatively impacting your health. Are there changes that need to take place? Conversations that need to be had? (Music Teacher Mojo Meter self-assessment)
- Consider what kinds of strategies you can use to support yours and your students’ social and emotional needs.
- Ask colleagues for practical tools to save you countless hours with administrative tasks.
- Take time to embrace FUN, laughter, great food and friendship. Invest in yourself and have fellowship with others who can relate to what you’ve gone through and help you get through what’s coming next.
- Most of all, take a breath. This has been hard. Allow yourself time and space to process what you’ve done, what you’ve learned and where you want to go.
It’s been a crazy couple of years. You’ve been through a lot. You’ve led others through a great deal. It’s been exhausting.
THANK YOU for all you’ve done to support students through very challenging times. As music educators, it was often your class (and YOU) that made a difference in a kid’s life. I wish you a joyous end to this school year and peace as you anticipate summer and new possibilities for next year.