That Aristotle Quote

If you've been around education for any length of time, you've seen it:

"Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all" - Aristotle

Whether it's really by Aristotle or not (my guess is no), there's some truth behind what sounds like another edu-platitude. People can easily memorize or "learn" without actually being changed. It's possible to know all the facts and feel no empathy or compassion. And sometimes, it's possible to force "learning" in the shallow sense onto students while actively hurting their hearts, while damaging their love of education and learning and knowledge.

I'm gonna be honest: this summer has been brutal. Summer classes are always annoying, something about doing school work while not teaching just feels wrong. They're a fact of the masters degree program I chose, so it's my own fault. But my current class isn't just miserable because it's August. It's killing my love of learning, of music, of being a student. I'd do almost anything not to have this class poison my mind. But it's a requirement, so I'm trudging through, day by day and week by week. In 8 days it will be over, and I'll be forever changed in a way that no student should ever be changed by a class.

It hurts my heart to be in a class where only music by white males is valued. It hurts my heart to know my university's requirements privilege this class steeped in oppressive practices over much more important, meaningful material that would help me be my best for my students. It hurts my heart to know that the hours I spent on homework will be reduced to dismissive feedback and a numerical grade that seems entirely arbitrary.

Those who teach can have such an influence. They can do so much good or so much harm. They can use positional authority to support those who are marginalized, or to further hurt those already struggling. They can respond to a struggling student with compassion, or with reactionary anger. It hurts to be on the receiving side of harmful educational practices. It hurts to spend hours on pointless assignments. It hurts to get negative feedback delivered in a blunt, abrasive way. It hurts to know I'm expected to suffer silently, to suck it up and struggle through without making waves. It hurts to cry in frustration over a course that cost me over $3,500 but provides little support or encouragement.

My heart is hurting. I'm exhausted. I'm not yet in a state of mind to give 100% for my students. Fortunately I have some downtime to recover from this traumatic "educational" experience before I'm back in the classroom. I'll carry memories of how much harm this class has done me, and pledge never to be a teacher who has that impact on students.

Teacher Summer Reading: The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

I've been doing a lot of lazy reading on the couch this summer and figured I would write about some of those books (in addition to picture books to use with students). To be clear, I don't *expect* teachers to do summer reading... we work hard enough during the year! But for those of us who enjoy reading over break, here we go!

This week's book was The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg. I was able to borrow the e-book for free via my local library in the Libby app, so it's worth checking there if you'd like to save money and support your library! 

This book was about how our unconscious habits impact every part of our lives, often in unexpected ways. Most people can appreciate that actions have consequences, but the consequences of our habits often span far beyond what we might predict. Because teachers especially have to make a lot of decisions in the course of our work, I think we likely rely heavily on habits to avoid decision paralysis and fatigue. 

The book doesn't aim to eliminate habits, or even label them as "bad" the way so many Pinterest articles seem to. Instead, it looks at the possibility of changing habits to make them better fit with goals and desires. By tweaking what we already do without thinking, we are able to come closer to our ideal selves without the need for extreme willpower or constant conscious decision making. 

Considering habits, especially cognitive habits, made me think about the things I do without thinking at school, from coming into my classroom the same way every school day to planning lessons following a certain routine. It also made me consider my habits outside of school, like binge-watching TV when I want to avoid cleaning or some other dreaded task. Just thinking about these habits, making the unconscious routines conscious, was eye-opening for me and helpful to consider.

The real power of habit is in leveraging them to work towards a goal. I started thinking about what habits I could change in my own life. So far, I've come up with adjusting my typical before-school habit of setting up the room, then making copies or checking email. Though I am very set in this habit, I know that I would be more productive if I changed it so that I wasn't trying to copy when many other teachers were also trying to copy, and I could work on plans or other tiring tasks while I had energy from my morning coffee.

I think this book will help me with getting students into certain habits as well. The book points out repeatedly that other people general can't force a habit change, though they can help develop them. For one, I hope to get my band kids into the habit of practicing frequently. Because they're new to playing an instrument, it's likely not something they'll know how to make a habit of, but as a semi-successful practice-er of 17 years I can help coach them towards building their practice stamina and making playing their instruments part of their daily routine. Additionally, I want to build classroom rehearsal habits with my students - not just the typical routines and procedures - in order to address the way we think, act, and make music in our classes.  

I found The Power of Habit to be an easy read, and an enjoyable one. It does sometimes seem to state the obvious, but never for more than a skimable paragraph. It's worth reading if you'd like to think about the things you don't think about doing! 

Begin Again

18 days into summer break, and I received the all-clear email that I can go set up my room whenever now that the floors in my wing are done. While I probably won't head into school for a couple more weeks, I always feel like that email saying we can access our rooms marks the beginning of another year. I'm staying in the same school with the same basic teaching assignment this year (thank goodness!) but so much around me will be changing that it feels like a big transition.

I did an end-of-year pack-up of questionable quality, throwing some things into drawers simply because I didn't want to have to make a decision about them. I did manage to clear out some materials well past their prime, including scratched records and an autoharp that will be re-purposed for games for our district music festival. I probably could have done more but my June teacher brain was so tired that I just didn't.

There is always more to do. So when I get back to my classroom, it will be how I left it (thankfully my awesome custodians make sure instruments aren't damaged as they clean) and I will do what I can to get everything how I want it to start the year. Nothing will explode if I don't have everything just so and there's a few post-it pads or pens out of their usual place. I'll do what is really important for my students and do the best I can with the rest. And it will be enough.

When deciding what is most important for me to do for students, I think about what is necessary, especially for the beginning of the year. I was able to leave my staff reading bulletin board in place, as well as my schedule board, so those will be easy to freshen up. There's a few important posters I need to get back up on the walls (some rhythm and instrument anchor charts, plus a Harry Potter poster that I just enjoy). I also want to get instruments set up, since that impacts traffic flow through the room and I like for kids to walk in and see the music room in its "real" setup on the very first day so that we can do procedures in a way that works with everything set up from day 1. Of course, planning lessons is key too! I try to do a lot of copying in August since there's less teachers waiting to use the copiers. Since I make booklets to use a multi-class sub plan, I'll copy and assemble those before the year starts so I'm ready just in case I need to be out.

Most of what I'm setting up isn't going to change a lot from how I had things last year. My room last year worked well for me and my students. Yes, I have some fresh lesson ideas and some fantastic new books, including the ones I've blogged about, but the physical setup of my room will be largely the same.

So I will begin again, much in the same way I do every year, despite changes all around me. I will choose to be stability and consistency, and to provide the best possible environment for my students. But first, a few more weeks of relaxation.

Teacher Summers

A lot has already been said about teachers and summer - by teachers and non-teachers alike - and it's largely very polarized. Opinions range from the dismissive you're so lucky to have summers off to all good teachers will do lots of work over the summer. Doug, an actual teacher, wrote a great blog post about summer PD, with one key sentence:

"The best summer PD is whatever works best for you."

 It's a simple premise, but one that's all too easy for teachers to miss in a sea of extreme opinions. Balance is okay. Different teachers having different summer plans is okay. And for those of us who will think about teaching this summer, it isn't about contract hours or Pinterest perfection or being "better" than other teachers. It's about choice.

Sometimes teachers' choices bridges that artificial divide between "work" and "play". I got dinner with a colleague who's also a good friend when I was in Boston this week, and we talked about both edu and non-edu things. Does that me credit for teaching-related? not-teaching-related? both? neither? And who's really keeping score?

The whole teacher summer "debate" strikes me as one of those situations in which it's better for all of us if we can mind our own business and worry about ourselves. Yes, it's important to make sure new teachers know they don't have to work all summer. And yes, it's important to share  opportunities to learn over the summer with colleagues. But ultimately it's up to each of us. You design your summer, I'll design mine, and hopefully we'll both come back refreshed, relaxed, and ready to take on a new school year. To each their own.

As for me, I'll be watching NCIS reruns, thumbing through children's books at the local bookstore, sipping Frappuccinos, re-learning the clarinet, and taking naps. And I hope that my summer choices won't be scrutinized, politicized, or criticized.

What are you doing this summer?