First Year Teacher Flashback

I am linking up with Shelley at Pitch Publications today for a Flashback Linky Party. I will be answering some questions from when dinosaurs roamed the earth... 22 years ago.. Haha!! Well, it was pre-internet and i had records and tapes, people!!!

 

1. 1.What subject/age and where were you teaching?
2. I taught K-6 at two different schools in my home state of Maine; one was 1.5 days a week and the other school was 2.5 days a week the first year. I subbed every monday, which was great experience!
4. 2.  What was your first classroom like?
5. The spring before i got the job, the school building was condemned due to some mystery gasses leaking through the floors. We were in a portable school which was brand new and very nice! That was my 2.5 days a week job. The other school o was in a portable that was tiny and smelled and was also used by the art teacher and the band teacher.
7. 3.  Were you given supplies and materials? I had some instruments at one school, none at the other, and had to beg to get a cheap plastic keyboard (casio) and a boom box. I had records (yes, really!), and I often schlepped instruments back and forth between schools.
9. 4.  What do you remember about your first day?
10.  How scared and nervous and excited i was!
12. 5.  What was the hardest part of your first year?
13. Having a very seasoned teacher next door who didnt like that the music room was right next door; she would open my door, glare at me and slam my door shut!
15. 6.  What was the best part of your first year? Being around children and making music with them!  I had never planned to teach elementary music; I was an opera major and planned to perform and/or teach high school chorus as it was more "sophisticated".  Four weeks teaching K-3 in my student teaching forever changed my life!  I love the wee ones (and not so wee! ).  What a blast!!  I also enjoyed meeting the music teacher who taught at a neighboring school and planning with her every week. She and i are still friends even though i am in NC and she is still in Maine.
17. 7.  What did you discover your first year that you didn’t learn in college or student teaching?
18. How much minutae can get in the way of teaching and music making. I didnt realize all the paperwork, budget info., written documentation, etc. that is a part of education!
20. 8. What is one thing you know now that you wish you knew then?
21. Someone wise once told me to think of teaching as a marathon; find/make/create 4 amazing lessons this year, 4 the next school year, etc. I also wish we had the internet back when i started teaching; the networking on facebook/social media we have access to is amazingly helpful... When i need aomething or have a ? I can post it on facebook and have 5 replies in an hour from teachers all over the world! That would have been incredibly helpful 22 years ago!

9.  Where did you draw most of your lesson plan inspiration from?
 I wrote a lot of lessons, used the standard classroom music books (and didn't like them), and went to every workshop i could.
 

10.  Is there anything you taught your first year that you still teach now?
I never teach the same thing the same way twice. I still do my "knees a knees a pizza pie" (see here) warm ups with my wee ones but have changed them a lot over the years!

Well , that's my flashback!  Newbies and first year teachers, have faith and confidence and remember to always put what's best for the children first!