The September 2020 issue of Choral Journal features an article titled “Resilient Choral Teachers” by Alex T. Favazza, Jr. and Amon Eady. You can read it in its entirety online at acda.org/choraljournal. Below is a portion of the article from the introduction.
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The study of teacher resilience, especially thriving teachers, is a somewhat nascent field of inquiry. Gu and Day indicate that only as recent as the 1980s, and continuing through the decades to follow, has the research on resilience shifted focus to the positive traits and strengths of the resilient, rather than the negative situations they overcome. Beltman, Mansfield, and Price compiled a review of fifty educational research studies on teacher resilience from 2000 to 2010 focused on “quality retention.”
These researchers identified recurring concepts of resilience:
Individual characteristics such as self-efficacy, confidence and coping strategies are important in overcoming challenging situations or recurring setbacks. Difficulties are not simply managed, but individuals are able to bounce back quickly and efficiently, persevere and thrive. Successful adaptation occurs despite obstacles, and personal well-being is maintained. Reciprocal, mutually supportive personal, professional and peer relationships are important in this process. The outcome is that teachers maintain job satisfaction and commitment to their profession.
What does resilience look like for the choral teacher? We have focused these recurring concepts of resilience in the research literature into three areas concerning the pre-service music educator and beginning choral teacher:
• Self-Efficacy and Skill sets
• Personal Magnetism
• Support Systems
We will explore these factors of resilience-building for the pre-service and early-career choral conductors through three reflective personal essays.
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Read the rest of this article (and more!) in the September 2020 issue of Choral Journal, available online at acda.org
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