Five Teaching Styles...WHEW!

At Lotts, we have four music teachers and (now) one student music teacher (me.) We all have different teaching styles. Me--I'm just figuring out my teaching style. I hope I can use all the great ways to make my own, but I know my teaching style is HEAVILY similar to Dr. Debbie Dunne-Sousa's, who was my Elementary and Middle School Methods professor in Fall '09 and Spring '10. I'm excited to see what I can pick up from each of them.

Let's start with Tracy Ward. She's my mentor teacher, and she has a good classroom management skills. (This is something I need SERIOUS help on, so I am grateful.) She focuses on keeping the lessons well-rounded while also integrating history of music, and movement/games. So far, we have done intro lessons on the recorder, which are great when controlled and not blasted by the students.

Though I am assigned to Mrs. Ward's class, I have the ability to observe the part-time teachers three days a week in class. I have observed Sherrie Rumboldt, who teaches here on Fridays and Bearden Elementary Monday through Thursday. I was introduced this week to Ben Burnette, music teacher of Lotts Monday-Tuesday, Halls music teacher all other days. Therein--because of the double-teachers available--two classes are in the music room Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays. Wednesdays and Thursdays only have one teacher (Tracy Ward) with one class per block. IN ADDITION, Brenda Swinson teaches one class per period in her portable music classroom. Isn't that schedule a little overwhelming? Truly, because of the rotation (two music days per classroom every nine days), a student could have as many as four teachers!

The discipline styles of the different teachers are quite different. Tracy and Ben command their audiences through music, though Tracy prefers calming quietness of the students and Ben prefers a medium-quiet classroom (as she deals with K-5, while Ben and Sherrie teach only K-2.) Ben thrives with singing and accompanying with his guitar or CDs, getting the students to sing loudly and confidently with fun songs appropriate for children's voices. Tracy accompanies with guitar, piano, and CDs and likes the students to calmly sit while also coordinating body percussion. Brenda and Sherrie are more activity-based and get their students up and moving around. Sherrie mostly focuses on movement exercises and games to songs, and Brenda combines Kodaly with Orff and dancing to keep her students up and running. (Brenda splits the time in half with movement exercises such as dance and sitting down to ask questions and read the music.)

There is so much more to write, and so much more to learn! Stay posted on what else I learn from observing all these different teachers!