5 things to keep in mind when student teaching with a choral director. I want you to make the most of you student teaching opportunity, and I want your cooperating teacher to want to take on more student teachers in the future, so don’t screw this up!!
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My Bullet Points
Stay humble.
- Listen
- Observe
- Shut yo damn mouth and keep your opinions to yourself
- Don’t offer feedback to your cooperating teacher.
Be professional, even if your co-op isn’t.
- Be punctual
- You can get anywhere on time if it’s important to you
- Don’t get “chummy” with faculty/administration. You haven’t earned it yet.
- Look your best.
- It’s about habit. Waking up with enough time to get dressed in nice, clean, pressed clothes helps you build this habit in the future.
The semester is not about you. It’s STILL about the kids.
- Your director has a program to run with or without you.
- This is your chance to be creative (not reckless) with the understanding that your co-op has a fixed amount of time to prep a concert.
Have a “What can I do to help?” attitude.
Avoid negativity.
- Many teachers complain A LOT. Doesn’t mean you should too.
- Stay the hell out of the faculty lunchroom.
Thomas Seniow says
Look for a logical opportunity to show off your musicianship to the students. The students will respect you more if they see that an accomplished musician has joined their team, not just some newbee that is learning how to teach.
Stuart Hunt says
Ryan – even though you are blunt and crass, I’m not going to go there. May I request, because ACDA has a very positive and well-deserved reputation, that you knock off the swearing and figure out a different way to make your points? We have others visit our websites to decide whether or not to join us. No comments about your content….just KNOCK OFF the egregious language, or, stop posting. You are embarrassing us!
I will not back off saying this. Join a class organization like ACDA in reaching those who need what we have to offer. You should be paying attention to comments about your in-your-face / foul-mouthed / unwelcome language. If not – then stop posting. Period !
Michael J. Seredick says
Stuart – you have my applause. Here’s a Ryan quote “Stay humble. Listen. Observe. Shut yo damn mouth and keep your opinions to yourself.” His words, not mine. I invite educator(?) Ryan to revisit his “Shut yo….” statement and heed his own advice. Educator(?) Ryan would also do well to read some of the current articles about reputation. If I were a University professor making decisions on matching a student teacher with a mentor, the name Ryan Guth would not be considered. The only compliment I can make regarding Ryan Guth is —— “nice bow tie” in the photo.
Chris says
I just wanted to point out that this is not meant to be a scholarly work. It’s a podcast. Casual listening, meant to entertain and inform. Using strong language is one way to make the point memorable, though it clearly backfires when the people reading it are too uptight to see the message through the wording.
Did you actually listen to the podcast, or just decide that the notes were too offensive for someone of your reputation, and see a chance to give a good dressing down? These are all things I wish someone would have told me when I started student teaching. It would have made a world of difference.
I’ve been teaching for 6 years, and the most important thing I’ve learned is that kids respect someone who will be real with them. They aren’t interested in high minded ideals, or manufactured politeness. They want someone who speaks to them on their level. Ryan is doing that. Speaking to people, specifically college students preparing to enter the workforce, on their level. And I’m sure I am not the only teacher who has had a terrible Student Teacher who could have benefitted from some real talk like this.
Elitists will always try to find a way to make others feel inferior. If they can’t refute your ideas, they will attack your presentation.
adrianstpierre says
Stuart,
I genuinely ask whether or not you have listened to the episode, or if you’ve just read the show notes. Inflection is everything! If you’ve got time to read and comment during your busy school day, take a little time and listen.
I’m a second-year teacher, though have been out of school for over 4 years. I know that I’m not the only one who not only supports Ryan and his mission, but also applauds Ryan for his direct and intentionally tongue-in-cheek approach. Perhaps it’s generational thing to be offended, but perhaps not. I *do* feel that you underestimate how many students nowadays truly NEED to hear “Shut yo damn mouth” – Too many students coming up are coddled and told they’re the greatest… and yes, this does happen at the University level.
Life is not all rainbows and lollipops. We all need to pull up our big kid pants and move on. If things like this offend you, don’t read it! I believe you might be a small minority who feels embarrassed… but I can assure you that there are hundreds of people, typically in the younger age bracket, who are not embarrassed in the slightest by Ryan’s word choice. There are plenty of people on ChoralNet who will gain value from Ryan’s posts. Perhaps his posts just… aren’t for you (it’s 100% possible). You can simply scroll right on by. (: