Up until my senior year in high school I had always wanted to be a high school choral director at a fine arts high school. I thought that is what I had my heart set on and I believed that my mind would never change. I was very content with being a choral director because I was not really aware of all of the possibilities in music besides a chorus teacher. Doing something other than music has never been an option for me because music is my heart and I love it way too much. My senior year in high school I had the privilege of being a Teacher Cadet. The first semester we learned a lot about how to be a teacher, how to handle a classroom, and I also learned a lot about me. The second semester we had the opportunity to actually student teach in our own classroom. Being from Easley, I did not have many options with choosing a music class to student teach in. I was not allowed to teach in the same high school chorus that I was in, and I knew that I did not want to teach middle school. I ended going to an elementary school that was near my high school. I got to student teach 5th grade music at West End Elementary School and it was probably the best experience I have ever had. The music teacher is young and fairly new to teaching but she was very welcoming to me. I started out just observing for a couple of weeks and then the teacher let me teach some lessons and eventually I was able to teach entire classes. I absolutely loved teaching the children! It was somewhat like a rollercoaster as I was in the process of teaching because I had to learn the hard way that every teacher has their good days and sometimes they have days that just don’t go as planned.
Now that I am in college and I think back on the experience I had at West End, I have my heart set on being an elementary school teacher. I love children and I would absolutely love to be able to teach them music. And plus, don’t you remember your elementary music teacher? I am not sure geographically where I want to teach, but I do know that I am probably going to stay away from the very small town of Easley, SC. I would love to teach in a bigger town but not big like New York City. Honestly, once I finish school and begin looking for a job, my goal is going to be just to find one. I would love to move up north a little bit and teach at a majority middle class school.
I want to teach elementary music so I would be teaching typically kindergarten through 5th grade. Since all students take music, it is very exciting to think that I would get to know every student in the school! The advantage of this life is the fact that I would be able to get up every morning and teach something I love to children! I cannot wait to be able to express my passion to students in a fun and exciting way and maybe I will inspire them to become musicians or at least to have an appreciation for music. Also an advantage is that I would be doing something that I love and it wouldn’t matter where I was or who I was with. If I love what I am doing, I am going to be happy.
A problem with this dream is that I will not be making that much money. Teachers do not make a lot of money so you really have to love what you are doing. I think that I will make enough to live but I know that I will not be able to live in my dream house or drive my dream car right off the bat. I am not really worried about money because I will be doing what I love.
To prepare for my dream career, I am taking music classes and I am majoring in music education. This Jan. Term I am hoping to take Introduction to Music Education. This class is also one of the reasons I am at Converse. I had the opportunity to sit in on that class when I came for an overnight and I had a blast in the class and that is why I cannot wait to take it! This summer I really want to get involved with summer music camps. I have a friend who taught at the summer camp here this past summer, so I am hoping she can help me with getting involved with that. Also, this summer I would really like to start teaching piano lessons. Last year, I was a teacher assistant in the Piano I and II class at my high school and I really learned a lot about teaching piano. I want to start teaching and getting involved with teaching students as soon as possible so I can learn as much as I can before I actually go into the classroom.
Megan,
ReplyDeleteAwww...you actually somewhat inspired me to consider teaching. It is great that you are so enthusiastic with what you want! I also think that its sweet that not making enough money as a teacher isn't your main focus. Your just happy to do what you love and to be helping children. From knowing you now I KNOW that teaching is perfect for your cause your sweet but your not soft lol, your sweet enough to deal with kids but not get ran over while doing so.
Good Luck!
Abby [;
So, we are the same person. I was a Teacher Cadet in high school too, and loved it. Except, instead of teaching little people, I taught a class of freshmen guys to sing. That was fun. Teacher Cadets really helped me to discover other aspects of music without having to perform. Teaching people to appreciate and love music as much as we do can be just as rewarding. I envy your confidence in this choice and goal, and I have faith that you will be able to do whatever you put your mind to.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you've had a lot of great opportunities to learn about teaching! I'm really happy for you, Megan. You are definitely on the right track, and I'm glad that you found something you're passionate about and are shooting for the stars. I can totally see you teaching elementary school. I really hope that you achieve your dreams!
ReplyDeleteThat's a great resume! putting teaching experiences like that on a resume for a summer job could land you a position at a music camp WORKING! The best thing about that is you get paid AND you get to learn more about teaching at the same time :)
ReplyDeleteMegan, I love that you are so passionate about what you want to do. You already have some solid experience, which is hard for high school students to get, especially in the education field. You seem very focused and have a good plan for how to achieve you dreams.
ReplyDeleteA fantastic dream, Megan. And you're definitely going about preparing for it in the right way. Keep working and exploring, and get all the teaching experience you can possibly get while you're still in school. Another way to get to working with little people is to get involved in a church music program--it doesn't even necessarily have to be your own church or denomination--there's all sorts of opportunities out there.
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