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Post by anacrusis on Nov 15, 2006 14:51:52 GMT
I got a phone call last night - my name had been given to somebody by the administrator of the orchestra I played with in summer - could I help with recorder tuition on Saturday....three hours of it, with primary school kids, never seen how their classes are set up, haven't a clue...and fortunately my taxi commitments to my own two are not adjustable at that level of notice. However, they may ask me again, and just in case I could do it as far as timing goes....what on earth does one do when teaching a class of kids? So far I can play the recorder tolerably well myself, know the names of the notes and can play a few tunes, but my only current pupil is, er, a bit senior to myself, and A Rational Person. Do you hope they all have a book and toot through it, or play musical games, or do a slow scale to warm up first, or what? In case I am stupid enough to say "yes" next time....  |
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Post by kerioboe on Nov 15, 2006 19:33:29 GMT
Is it really a whole classful at once??? I am not a music teacher but my limited experience of primary school children as a teacher of English is that they are a law unto themselves. I taught English (as a foreign language) in a secondary school for years and one year was asked to come into a primary school once a week to teach English to the top two classes. I foolishly accepted, naively thinking that there couldn't be that much difference between a class of nine-year olds and a class of eleven year-olds  . How wrong can you be! I survived the year but declined to return the following year. As you say they are not rational (or at least their logic is different to an adult's)! |
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Post by kflute on Nov 15, 2006 19:56:06 GMT
I do three recorder groups on a Wednesday lunchtime in a primary school. 15-20 kids in each group. I have been doing this for just over two years.
My advice if you got asked again would be........................SAY NO!!!!!!!!!!!
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Post by Steve Hopwood on Nov 15, 2006 22:17:46 GMT
As you say they are not rational (or at least their logic is different to an adult's)! Primary school kids live in a world all of their own. This world can be great fun if you vaguely understand it, otherwise steer well clear of it. Dealing with these kids in school is a whole different ball game to coping with our own kids. I do three recorder groups on a Wednesday lunchtime in a primary school. 15-20 kids in each group. I have been doing this for just over two years. My advice if you got asked again would be........................SAY NO!!!!!!!!!!! I hoped you would chime in here, kflute. I read this thread earlier and wanted to scream, "Noooooooooo. Don't do it." Trouble is, I have had so much positive feedback elsewhere that I was reluctant to be negative. Your posting 'gives me permission'. Anacrusis, if a specialist woodwind teacher says, 'SAY NO!!!!!' then I hope you will take notice. The only successful primary recorder groups I have encountered have been taught by music specialists on the staff of the primary school concerned - committed primary teachers with a music specialisation. Every other individual I have encountered has found this a hopeless task. I bet you never considered the recorder to be a lethal weapon did you? Well, it is when shoved up.............. Kids need controlling. Experienced, expert classroom teachers make this control look so easy that we all imagine we can control a group of kids. We cannot. Accept this offer and I predict that the skills you have that will be most in demand are your medical skills. ;D Just say 'No', ok? |
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Post by anacrusis on Nov 15, 2006 23:01:47 GMT
Pheeeeww, am I glad I posted that!
My two are well-behaved in public, boundary-testing in private, one in primary and the other in secondary - I love them to bits, which is how we all survive... I like having the occasional kid over for tea etc, but dread the two birthday parties each year, and not just because of the prevalence of peanut allergy amongst their mates. The request for help in teaching was rather vaguely couched, but I'm pretty sure it involves the classes we had a flyer for early in the term - maybe not thirty kids at once, but it could be fifteen.
Thank you so much, everyone.
Notice Taken. ;D
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