Vagina Monologues

I decided to attend the Vagina Monologues to just see what it was like. Thankfully I was there with my girlfriend which made the situation less awkward. I would not have had enough nerve to go by myself. Some of the monologues were very funny talking about how some women were looking to find themselves because they were so reluctant. The also said the word Vagina a lot. They also used other nicknames a large amount as well. They brought up many issues that happen right here in today's world about treatment of women. One culture would burn a woman's face or body to try to kill them. Also in Iraq, the soldiers have raped many Iraqi women. I enjoyed how each monologue had a different delivery. These monologues have opened my eyes to the treatment of women.

Gospel Choir experience

I attended a Gospel Choir workshop this past Saturday and Sunday by Dr. Keith Hampton. Here I had an experience with the African-American worship rituals. He taught us the the main difference between European worship and Black worship, as he preferred to be called, was passive participation versus active participation. He explained to us that in normal Black conversation the two people will say something after nearly every sentence. We performed two songs that he had written as well. He taught us how to sing some songs by rote. Rote is learning orally with-out music. Dr. Hampton taught us by having us listen the first time, sing the second, and be perfect the third time. This was an effective method to teach college students. However if he had taught us more complex music it would not have been so easy to learn these songs. The songs that we learned through this method were very repetitive. If we had done harder songs with more complex harmonies this would have been very hard to do. He didn't really have to maintain control of the group because he is a very highly respected composer and we respected him and he respected us. Because of this he did not have to worry about keeping the focus. He also was funny and integrated humor into the long rehearsal. This experience was very good and I really learned about something I didn't know before.

Budget Cuts

This past weekend I received word from my mother that the Waukesha school district wanted to cut the 4th-5th grade orchestra programs and the 5th grade band program. When I heard that one again these programs were up on the chopping block I was up hauled. Waukesha has its roots in music and we have some of the best music programs in the nation. We have attended nation competitions and have won them. These cuts will not only eliminate those music programs but they are also cutting up to eight music teacher positions. The biggest problem that I have with the music program going under budget cuts is that these programs are self sufficient. Each school in the district has a parent organizations made to raise money for the directors and the schools. My second big problem with the cuts is that it is part of Waukesha's heritage to have music. Waukesha is the birthplace Les Paul. Now for those of you who do not know of him, he is the inventor of the Electric Guitar. Now take a moment to think about where we would be if the Electric Guitar was never invented or invented years later. We would not have all of the music styles that we have today.
Now let's take a look from the students perspective. In my high school of around 1,400 students 600 of them participate in a music program. The band program caters to 400 students per year. That is over a quarter of the student body. To me that is a significant amount of students compared to all the smaller clubs. Music also helps for some students to find an expressive artistic outlet during the day, a break, or simply something they really enjoy. No matter what the attitude towards music is from each individual student, it is proven to stimulate the mind and to help the mind develop. Students who are proficient in music are also very proficient in other areas of schooling. Music also teaches students about how to work together in a very large group. It takes a coordination of many students to pull together a concert. Also no matter what the race, ability, or personality of the student is, everyone has to work together. In the band I student conducted we had a deaf percussionist and he was a great player. I had to use a signer to talk to him but he was always there willing to rehearse.
Music can cater to every student and it is a large percentage of the student body. We need to keep the fine arts around to help develop well rounded students ready for all aspects of life and when have you ever heard someone say I hate all music.

Opening Convocation

I attended the opening convocation ceremony and saw the bishop of the ELCA speak. He had great speaking skills making his speech interesting. He weaved his true message of his sermon with jokes, stories, and topics that everyone could relate to. Throughout the sermon he kept my attention by throwing these different aspects of his life into them. The one thing that really brought me back into his sermon was when he was telling a story about how someone asked him what he did as a retreat or to become re energized. He said that he would visit college campuses. That brought me into his speech again and kept me interested to the end. I was amazed at how much my generation could influence years to come. This drove my will to become a teacher ever farther. Being a teacher is my vocation it is what I am called to be.

Why Teach?

I want to teach so I can share my love of music with the next generation. I also want to teach because I enjoy helping others succeed. I know that if someone never teaches others how to do something, then skills and ideas will be lost. It would be terrible if people would lose the things that we all worked so hard to get. Without teaching none of this knowledge could be passed down to the people who don't know it even exists. I particularly want to teach the fine arts because they offer so many different things that a typical classroom setting class can offer. The fine arts are a way to offer expression, to show yourself, to become part of a community that works together to reach one goal, and to broaden the boundaries set forth by a classic education. There is a fine balance between what core classes, i.e., Math, Science, English, and Social Studies, compared to the"non-essential" classes where the fine arts fall. In my opinion music is such a part of todays culture that no matter who someone is they will enjoy some form of music. Music is in the T.V. shows and movies we watch, the concerts we attend, and the hit pop music sensation. It is our responsibility to teach young people about the wonders of every aspect of education. If we don't the mysteries of music could be lost.
School work and school learning create a fine line for the teacher to walk. I believe that work happens when a teacher assigns a large homework assignment that is very repetitive in nature or not enjoyable for everyone to do. Everyone can remember some teacher that just assigned a huge amount of work to do so you would just have to do it. Learning should be an enjoyable process where students want to return every class to find out more. Although learning is achieved through some form of work, learning is something that is enjoyable for everyone it will also be remembered by the student for many years to come.
Good teaching creates an environment where every student can learn and flourish in the classroom. This can be a fine line to walk for the teacher to properly balance work and learning. There are also lessons that have to be taught about how to be a good person and brings out the goodness in every student. These life lessons are valuable for living in a community like what we have today. Good teaching also makes learning enjoyable. This is the hardest challenge for a teacher to balance fun activities and the curriculum that must be taught. The best teacher I have ever had made it feel like we were not working for our grades but that they just came naturally. Also on his tests the information just came out like it was the most natural thing ever. He is the perfect example for me of good teaching and I want to follow in his footsteps.