Education
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Ten Things I Learned During My First Semester as an Art Teacher
Have you ever been an art teacher before? Me, either! Well, up until this year, that is. I taught art for a few months at the end of the last school year, but really began teaching in earnest this fall. Over the summer, one of my very talented students gave me drawing lessons and I also read both of Mona Brookes’s excellent “Drawing…” books. Here’s what I’ve learned during my first official semester of being an art teacher. Some of these lessons come directly from the classroom, and some of them come as a combination of classwork, drawing lessons, and Mona Brookes’s guidance. (Note: Illustrations to follow.) First, art is…
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Rethinking My Definition of Rest
I was recently listening to an episode of the Educational Renaissance podcast titled “Desirable Difficulties.” The three educators who host the podcast often discuss how modern research and Charlotte Mason’s methods of education fit in with the classical model of education. They also cover a range of topics relating to education, from accredation to habit training. In this episode, they focus on challenging students in order to help them learn. At one point, they discuss how students’ energy levels wax and wane during a typical class period. I’ve noticed this in both my Music and Chemistry classes; Chemistry moreso because I teach it during the first period of the day…
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Let All the Nations Praise the Lord {New Music Monday}
Our spring program at school is coming up in a little less than a month. The students have been learning and practicing their songs since late in January. They did such an excellent job for the Christmas program that we’ve been working on some fun extra things as well. The theme of the program is “Let All the Nations Praise the Lord.” Here’s a summary of what my students will be performing for the spring program this year. Dona Nobis Pachem We’re beginning the program with “Dona Nobis Pachem,” a lovely canon, or round, meaning “grant us peace.” This song fits the theme of the program because it’s written in…
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A Typical Day in Music Class & A Christmas Song (A Long Overdue New Music Monday, Plus Video)
In addition to being my first full year teaching science, this is also my first full year teaching music. I teach music at every level, from the first grade students all the way up to the high school juniors. I enjoy teaching both music and science, but I feel the most passionate about teaching music. Music is beautiful. Music is fun. And music tells us stories. Our Music Class Routine In music class, we follow the same basic routine each class period. First, we listen to a piece of music and then we discuss what we heard. I like to ask the students three questions about each piece: 1. What…
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How to Do a Nature Study with a Grammar School Class
The lead teacher at the Classical Christian school I teach at asked me if I could talk with some of the grammar school teachers about how to do a nature study with their students. As a way to sort out my thoughts, I decided to write this article. Here’s how I would do a nature study with a grammar school class. In the Classroom Nature study begins in the classroom, reading books about the natural world to your students and giving them ample time to ask questions. You can choose 6-8 books to cycle through during the year. The books you choose must correspond to something you can actually go…