Teaching the Von Trapps to Sing

The hills are alive with the sound of music… and not just because it’s summer break and I have Grey’s Anatomy streaming on Netflix, but because I’ve emerged from my first year of teaching as a stronger, more confident and capable educator.

What a year it has been.  I remember when I first started… I was a doe-eyed, naïve, idealistic, guitar-wielding nun from the convent... oh, wait.  Scratch that last part.  What I mean to say is, I was a deer in the headlights, facing 120 inquiring (and not-so-inquiring) minds every day, and I had no idea what I was doing.  It was frightening.  I still don’t completely know what I’m doing, but I have at least one year’s experience under my belt.  And beyond the curriculum, the classroom management strategies, and the professional development, I have witnessed the power of relationship building, and what it can do for the classroom.

I had my independent Liesls (“I’m 16 years old, and I DON’T need a governess!”), impossible Friedrichs, mischievous Louisas, incorrigible but lovable Kurts, the seldom but always appreciated nose-in-the-book Brigittas, and the well-behaved Martas and Gretls.  I had 120 of them, and it was cowboys and Indians when I first started… when they were testing me, and I was going insane, and there was no work getting done in the classroom.

But what a transformation. 

I guess it just took time, and also very purposeful relationship building… talking to the Liesls about their boy problems, encouraging the Friedrichs and Kurts to step up when they were afraid or didn’t want to do their work, joking with the Louisas, and showing them all that I genuinely cared about them.  And that has made all the difference. 

By the end of the school year, the Von Trapps were analyzing poetry, critically reading and responding to newspaper articles and other expository texts, and experiencing, understanding and acting out Shakespeare!  I am SO proud of the strides they have made, and even more, the effort they put forth into deepening their minds. 

And what a transformation in myself, as well.  I can now genuinely say that I enjoy teaching and am starting to carve out my niche in the profession.  I love my students and helping them see and reach their potential.  And instead of ending each day thinking, "I can't wait until next year... when I don't have to do this anymore," it's now, "I can't wait until next year... when I can do it again and do it better!" 

It is ironic that now that I have finally embraced the profession, I don’t know if there will even be a “next year.”  I’ve been pink slipped, of course, and with the potential $40 million budget cut next school year in our district, the prospect of being rehired looks bleak for me.  I did have a very encouraging “we’re-letting-you-go-but-will-do-our-best-to-rehire-you” meeting with my principal before I left, but in the end, it comes down to dollars and seniority, neither of which is on my side.

So I don’t know what will happen come August and September, but whatever happens, I take comfort in the fact that God is orchestrating this symphony.  Nonetheless, I am so thankful for this past year.  If nothing else, it has helped me better understand my husband and what he goes through every day.  For now, I will take this time to relax a bit, unwind, and celebrate that at least for one year, I was able to teach the Von Trapps to sing.