Yesterday I returned to Martinez Elementary! I was very excited to see my students. We began by writing down chords in their journals. Writing down chords is a new skill we have been working on with them so they can make the chords on the guitar themselves using their brains and not teacher assistance! They have improved a lot on third diagram skills and Im so proud of them!!!!!! Some of the kids were having some anxious behavior because they are taking the STARR test the next week. We saw this and talked a lot about stress coping mechanisms that could apply both to playing guitar and to taking tests! I hope that we made them feel better and more confident for next week. Learning outcome 4 was very relevant to this experience. It is show commitment to and perseverance in a fieldwork experience. I feel that my commitment to the growth of these kids is very important to me and all I want is for them to succeed !!!!

Martinez!!!!!!!

Today I went back to Martinez  after winter break and J-Term! I missed getting to go see my students every week! My one concern going back was that they would forget everything from last semester. I went back to Martinez and was welcomed with all of my kids screaming "Ms. sushi, we missed you!" They have nicknamed me ms. sushi because I like sushi and that is 4th grade humor at its finest. I felt like returning to Martinez really aligned with earning Outcome 4: Show commitment to and perseverance in a fieldwork experience.The kids forgot most of what we did last semester, which was kind of a let down, but I toughened up and lead a review for the kids of everything we did last semester. It was difficult making them all focus and work hard, but eventually they did and caught up to where they were at the end of last semester.

Masada

Today my family and I climbed Masada in Israel! I am not the best hiker, but I was determined to push through for the spiritual experience! Masada is such an important monument for the history of Israel and the Jewish people. I associate this experience with Learning Outcome 2: Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process. I faces a lot of challenges that day. First of all, I am not the best at hiking. Second, I had a very bad sinus infection that whole week. These challenges made it hard to climb the mountain. My sickness, plus the crazy altitude of the mountain caused a terrible pressure headache which made me have to sit down a lot over the course of the hike. It was also very windy outside, which made staying on track very difficult. Despite all of these challenges, I did what the learning outcome said and face new challenges and developing new skills! I developed skills of perseverance during the hike because these challenges made the experience hard, but I pushed through in order to see the beautiful view and landmarks from the top of the mountain!

Chicago Performance!!!!

Tonight we opened Chicago!!!! Not going to lie, we were all very nervous for the show for various reasons, but we really pulled it off. The morning before opening, I woke up with ZERO voice and I was scared that I wouldn't be able to sing. I did everything in my power to preserve my voice for the show! At school I drank a total of 6 cups of tea with honey and lemon and I had 3 bowls of chicken noodle soup and gargle a ton of apple cider vinegar which was NASTY but really helped! When if came time to perform, we were all nervous. Our nerves were so high we were shaking! Once we went   on stage we killed it! We sang and danced our hearts out. I didn't sing at my very best ability, but I did my best and that is what matters. I associated tonight with Learning Outcome 7: Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions. I had to learn how to preserve my voice for the show even though it was so tempting to talk and break vocal rest. It was also hard to do the apple vinegar even though it was gross. I did it even though it gross because I knew I needed to have a strong voice that night! Im so proud of the whole cast and crew of Chicago!

Last Day at Martinez for the Semester!

Yesterday was my last day teaching guitar at Clemente Martinez Elementary school for this semester. The kids have grown a lot throughout these past few months! To round out the semester, I was put in charge of teaching the class mostly by myself. I was supported by my co-teacher, Rachel, but I lead thereclass mostly by myself! We reviewed chords and rhythm because that is what we had been doing most of the semester! Towards the end of class we did a small showcase with the violin class next door. We first went over to their room and watched them play a short piece! After, the violin class came to our classroom and we demonstrated whole notes, quarter notes, etc using the E minor chord! I think it was very beneficial for both classes to observe the other because we have talked to the kids about how part of being a great musician is being a great listener. I feel that this whole day aligns with LO 3: demonstrating how to initiate and plan a fieldwork experience. I planned the contents of the class myself and helped plan the crossover class with the violin kids and their teacher! I look forward to returning in January!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chicago Run Through

On Sunday at rehearsal for Chicago, we ran through the portion of the show that we have staged! We have staged most of the first act so far. The whole cast was very nervous because we were scared we were going to mess up or forget choreography. We decided that we were all going to meet up at the theatre early for rehearsal and practice all of the large dance numbers before we had to do them in front of the choreographer and the leads of the younger cast of Chicago so they could gain inspiration from the older cast and see where they could go with hard work and practice! We ran through the show twice and it honestly went very well. It was very long and quite exhausting because we were dancing for four hours straight, hut I felt really good after. I feel that this connects with learning outcome 1, identifying own strengths and develop areas for growth. I felt really good with my memorization of lines, lyrics and choreography, but I still need to work on feeling comfortable in my body when dancing and working on calming my nerves when singing a solo! Overall, I am excited to see this show come together! I will keep this blog updated throughout the process!!!

Third Week At Clemente Martinez!!!

Yesterday marked my third class at Clemente Martinez Elementary School! Teaching at a new school with such short notice and transition timer was hard, but I think that my co-teacher Rachel and I are transitioning well! We now have 13 kids in our class instead of 9 or 10. We also teach an hour and a half class instead of 50 minutes, which is a large difference! Aside form these struggles, the classes are going well! We have introduced the kids to basic music theory and have taught them some basic chords like Em and A! Some of the kids are super hyper and it has been a challenge to calm them down, but aside from them being hyper, I see so much potential in all of these kids!

I feel that this whole experience aligns with Learning Outcome 2, demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process. As I said before, moving to a new school that is a completely different environment as well as teaching a longer and bigger class has been hard, but I have learned how to adapt to new circumstances and grow as a teacher and leader. I am excited to watch these kids grow throughout the year and gain skills and knowledge. I see so much potential and excitement in them and I cant wait to see them grow into mature artists!