First Day of School

I've never considered myself a blogger-type.  I can't even upkeep a journal.  But I must document this incredible journey I am on. (Damn it, ended a sentence with a preposition already- I'll never be a writer, oh well...)

I was reading over my student teaching journal (no, not an emotionally-driven diary created from my need to express my thoughts, but an assignment for school) and it brought back so many memories about my time there.  I was truly glad that I was forced to document it, because I know I wouldn't have recalled much of what I wrote without the help of "Journal Entry #1, #2, #3, etc...)  So, I figure many years from now, or maybe just three years from now, because that is how long it has been since I wrote "Journal Entry #7", I will appreciate the fact that I am documenting my experiences.

I have to shout out to my sister, who has been writing a very successful blog for about a year now.  I know I'll never write as elegantly and she does, nor will I be able to express myself within a theme.  But hey, I went to school for music, not writing, so give me a freakin' break, ok?  Oh, no one cares? Never-mind.  I mean, but hey, this is just for me, right?

Today I got to experience what a 38-member 7th grade beginning orchestra class was like.  If you haven't had that chance, you really should avoid it.  I've taught elementary general music (barf) and high school choir, orchestra, and jazz band (meh, yay, and barf) and now I have landed my "dream job" at a high-paying, inner city middle school where I get my own room, a small but do-able budget, and a team of intelligent music colleagues with which to work (see how I avoided the preposition-ending there?).  Unfortunately, I'm moving from the high school level down to the middle school level and I need to come to terms with the fact that my kids are acne-covered, hormonally-charged adolescents who need their hand held through every minor life decision.

"can i take my jacket off?" yes
"my tuner isn't working" it's not turned on
"i left my shoulder sponge in my locker" ok, not a question
"should i get my instrument?" read the board
"i don't have a pencil" again, not a question

It is my goal to turn these energy-sucking, teet-suckling monsters into functioning mini-adults as quickly as possible.  Because, isn't that what education is all about?  But seriously, self-sufficiency is too low a priority in school nowadays. I'll sign off with this musing (or "music-ing" if you will... heh heh, sorry can't help it, it's in my blood...): Instead of holding a child's hand when they're scared or helping them up when they fall, what if we just watched and waited to see what they did?  Would they really spiral into drugs, depression, and failure in life?  Or would they dust themselves off, move on, and be able to answer the question "i don't have a pencil" ?