The Bad and the Good

I've written before about being a grad school student while teaching, and some of the challenges and benefits. My fall class was a lot better than my summer classes, and one idea from the class has stuck with me even though I'm done with the class now: music education is not inherently good. It seemed ironic to hear a question about whether music education was good in a music education degree program in which most of us had spent a years in the field and were currently spending $3,500 to take a music education class. But something about the articles we read and the premise of the question makes so much sense: not every educational experience is a good one.

Education as a harmful experience has helped me make sense of so many of my own school experiences, both as a K-12 student and in college and grad school. Not every class helped me learn something (though I wrote a snarky "this class has taught me how not to teach" on more than one course evaluation) useful. Not every class was worth the time and effort I put in. There's a reason some school experiences didn't work for me beyond my flaws as a student, of which there are many.

But so much of education is good. An a-ha moment about a topic students really care about. Bonding over a certain song, whether it's as part of a Red Sox victory celebration or a more serious occasion. Laughing with a class until everyone needs a drink of water. Hugs from students. Working hard on something and improving on it. Having those goosebump musical moments. It's up to teachers to make those good experiences happen more often, to help students learn and have positive school experiences. This isn't to say teachers should aim to be perfect. Or to "save" students. But if we can find something at school for every kid to look forward to every day, maybe things will be a little better. Or maybe, we can look at experiences that are hurtful for a lot of students (cough, standardized testing, cough) and reimagine a better way.

Me, I'll take the bad with the good, and be grateful that it seems the worst of my experiences as a student should be behind me.