"Abby" something...

Last night I was dreading my observation today. I woke up this morning feeling more confident about it, especially since Lizzy emailed me back and told me what she wanted to do with the seventh graders. My professor (let's call him George, ignore the Wickham) decided he could come for third and fourth hour, which was great because I felt more comfortable working with them in front of him, considering the way things have been going with eighth grade the past week or so.

It all went rather well! Of course I made some mistakes that I normally try to avoid, but that happens sometimes. I did rhythm cards and movement, followed by warm-ups. Lizzy took over for sight-reading (which we forgot in fourth hour...oops) and then I rehearsed Dodi Li with them. After that, Lizzy worked Tomorrow Shall Be... with the choir while George and I went into the practice room and talked about how class went and how he evaluated me.

I pointed out things I would change and that I'm working on (classroom management, consistent energy, etc.) and George noted that I'm a step ahead of some student teachers he's seen in the past who aren't aware that those are issues for them. He went through his evaluation form with me, and every box was either a 3/4 or 4/4! Even though I have so far to go and there are many things that still need improvement, George was pleased with the progress I've made and the direction I'm headed.

At one point when George was pointing out some issues I needed to work on, he said, "By the way, that's normal." Then he paused and pointed to a list further down on the page. "But you're abnormal, because look at all of these things you've been pulling in and successfully using! This is not the average!" It was a list of all the national standards I'd pulled in, movement and multisensory activities that had been used, and the ways in which I'd been able to fine-tune shapes or tones from the choir. Relief swept over me, and for a fleeting moment Marty Feldman's face popped into my brain--hence the title of this entry.

We talked extensively about an issue I had with a boy in fourth hour, and how I let him pull the energy of the class towards him instead of taking care of it quickly. I know better than that, but I was completely taken off guard by the fact that this particular student was back from suspension. A few quick fixes and I should be able to handle it much more effectively.

George also nailed my conducting. To be honest, I haven't been thinking about my conducting at all these past 9 weeks. I've been so focused on the teaching and the working relationship with the students that I let my conducting fall by the wayside. I'm not reinforcing correct singing technique with my conducting, so much of the set-up in the warm-ups and small chunks that we rehearse goes to waste. We determined that I'm throwing energy out there, but it's all in my arms and my face--not my torso or stance, where I want the students to have energy as well.

So that's a new goal for me to work on: re-focusing on my conducting and making it both crisp and technique-enhancing.

After the insane energy I put into third and fourth hour, and the twenty minutes spent talking with Lizzy and George during lunch, Lizzy sent me off to have a full half-hour of lunch, demanding that I not come back in the choir room until halfway through fifth hour. It was a break I definitely needed, and thoroughly enjoyed. I completed four sudoku puzzles!

Sixth hour was on the ball today. It was a great rehearsal. They were with Lizzy every step of the way, and we all made music together.

The choirs are starting to realize, "Oh crap, we only have 3.5 rehearsals left," and things are starting to come together. Festival is still a daunting prospect, but it looks like it'll be okay after all.