What my mom taught me about teaching
Because most of us are in “back to school” mode- it’s time to talk about teaching. My mom was absolutely born to be a teacher. In her career, she taught middle school general music, elementary school music, special education, community college classes, and preschool music. I don’t even know how many different Sunday School classes and Children’s Choir groups she ran at church. Frankly, I don’t think she cared what she taught- just as long as she was teaching. Mom loved the process. I know- because I do to.
When I was choosing a career, I knew I wanted to work with music somehow and with children with special needs (reference the above list of things Mom taught- couldn’t avoid it). I swore I was not going to be a teacher. I went into music therapy, and absolutely loved it. A funny thing happened when I went back to get my Master’s degree in music therapy. I got to teach some classes as a part of my assistantship, and I was hooked. I loved music therapy, I loved teaching, and I really loved teaching about music therapy. Mom and Dad really got the last laugh on that one.
I had the privilege of watching Mom teach many times, and I learned so much from her. Here are a few of the highlights.
- Teach only what is important. Mom didn’t wast time teaching meaningless stuff. She knew how to focus only on the most important ideas. Whether it be teaching high school students with disabilities how to shop for food or teaching future teachers how to write a decent lesson plan, she boiled things down to the essentials. Mom was ever efficient, especially in her teaching.
- Make your expectations clear. One of Mom’s “signature moves” was to stop her elementary school students at the door and give them instructions prior to entering the classroom. Mom was an expert at classroom management, and I’m convinced it was because she was always so clear with instructions and expectations.
- Related to #2- Never yell. Mom knew the surefire way to get anyone to listen was to talk softer. This one is not just for elementary school- it works on college students as well.
- Get a feel for what your students can do- and expect them to do it! Because she was such an expert at managing the classroom, mom could hold her students to pretty high expectations. She was particularly adamant about having appropriate expectations for her students with disabilities. She certainly didn’t ask them to do anything beyond their capabilities, but there was no pity in her classroom. Mom helped her students develop independence and autonomy.
- Don’t miss the sweet moments. Almost every teacher knows they could write a book with their stories. Mom was no exception. Hopefully, I will be able to remember them all because she always shared joys and funny stories over the dinner table with the family. Mom found so much joy in the achievements, milestones, and down right funny antics of her students. I plan to write another post in the future about Mom’s love for children with disabilities, but one of my favorite stories comes from this part of her teaching, so I’ll share it here. Liz Hill (one of mom’s former colleagues) stopped by after Mom’s death and reminded us of the time that they took their high school students to the beach. Some people would question the sanity of teachers who loaded up vans of high school students with disabilities and drove them to the beach, but to Mom- it made sense. Many of them had never been to the beach, so she and her colleagues took them. It was as simple as that. Liz said that when the kids hit the beach, she stood with Mom and they just cried watching their students marvel in seeing the ocean for the first time. A sweet moment to be savored.
I am proud to have witnessed my Mom truly in her element so many times. I work hard to honor what she taught me in the way that I teach my students.