It seems that blogging could be just another thing to keep up with. I've not been very good at keeping my blog updated. As I look back on my first semester of teaching, there are some self-observations and things to ponder.
The difficult part about teaching at this college is not mainly academic. My general observation of the students here are that they lack direction in life and are very myopic. (This is true of most freshmen and teenagers, I'm sure.) Being a community college, the lower tuition does attract students who are not as well-off financially and are not as prepared for life (much less college). I remember having a discussion with a friend about the attitude of poverty. I'm thankful for that conversation because I am now observing the effects of that attitude. The students have to work to afford school but their work schedule is affecting school. Some of my students are working 40 hrs a week and working the third shift. At the same time, there are those who are trying their hand at the slots in the casinos, spending (wasting) what little money they have. I had a student who said he's kept track of his wins at the casino and he's ahead by $20. I didn't mince words when I said, "How many hours have you spent there to make $20? I can show you a way to make $20 in one hour." Cruel of me to say that, right? Sad, that it never crossed his mind.
There are also students who have not been parented and I am in the role of a surrogate/foster mom. They have no idea how to care for themselves as they've never been cared for before. I think my An-An is privileged to be my cat. She has the best food (real fish or poultry cooked specially for her), a nice warm bed to sleep in and someone who pays her attention. Most teens do not care about their nutritional intake. I had a few students who were not eating and were not aware of the problems that this behavior will lead too. I dislike lecturing or having to step into the role of MOM but when I talk to them, their ignorance is so apparent and I shock them back into eating.
It is also my first semester teaching aural skills so it was a steep learning curve for me. I never took an aural skills class. The pedagogical challenge in teaching any subject is to present the material and concepts clearly. I discovered that most students lack a systematic approach to dealing with a problem. I am not an advocate of rules or to repeating steps for solving problems, because creative problem solving is the way to go. The students I dealt with had no idea of what exactly they needed to achieve which impedes the problem solving process. The challenge for me was to let them figure out what they could or could not do on their own. We progressed very slowly based on the textbook but we did make solid progress on some basic concepts.
As far as piano teaching went, I taught class piano and applied piano. I didn't have any piano majors (not yet). I last taught class piano at Wichita State and I modeled my syllabus after it. Towards the end of the semester I decided that since it was my class, I shouldn't allow Wichita State's syllabus to dictate the pace and materials covered. It was a sigh of relief for everyone as I postponed the teaching of the black key major scales to Class Piano II which is a new class I am establishing. For applied piano, it was expected that there would be some basic problems to solve and teaching them how a grand piano is different than an upright. I am requesting for a grand piano to be put in my studio next semester.
My other steep learning curve was with student auditions. I do have 10 free rides (tuition and books) to award and I auditioned two students this semester. One was successful, the other is pending because the parent acted inappropriately the entire audition. The student refused the offer to try out the piano which I thought was very strange. The playing was alright, not great (legato, phrasing, voicing & dynamics) but not bad (memory & pedalling). Following the audition, the parent answered every interview question I posed to the student and also openly challenged my teaching ability. I offered to give her child a lesson on her audition piece if she was so concerned that her child would have nothing to gain from studying with me. I also told them they could take my cell phone and find the numbers of several piano profs. I told them one phone call and I can set up another audition for her kid. As I walked them out, I casually asked whether she had played a grand piano before. She said she has never and I chuckled, "That explains your playing." I hated to tell them that playing on a grand is not arrogant behavior because it's like asking a Nascar driver to drive an ordinary car for a race. I will have closed auditions from now on. No one else will be allowed in the room during the audition. I regret I don't fawn over many things and I try to stay emotionally reserved (Now if you're An-An, that's a different story). I came from that afternoon totally exhausted.
I am wondering about why my college asks me to provide dinner or prelude music. I'd rather not because that is something I don't do on a regular basis. I'm neither a gig musician nor do I wish to establish that reputation without establishing my recital capabilities first. I am walking a fine line here. If they sincerely wish for a piano program at this college, then I must be a serious musician and do what most piano majors do. Besides, I want to put my best foot forward and show them what my strengths are. April 1, 2010 will be my debut faculty recital there.
So here's to a good first semester of teaching.
