Global Citizens

 I once heard someone say that elementary music teachers either teach music or they teach through music. I imagine that most elementary music teachers choose music, but I am not most. I teach life through music, and I try to create little people who grow up to be intelligent, respectful, and appreciative music makers and/or music consumers in this world.

 

I focus a lot on the goal of “understand[ing] global, interdisciplinary, and 21^st century connections with music.” I try to connect music to concepts of reading, math, science, and social studies. I love it when a kid asks me why we’re doing math in music. “Oh, little one,” I want to say, “you have no idea how much of music IS math!”

 

For the past three weeks, my 2^nd and 3^rd graders have been focusing the geographical concepts of city, state, country, and continent. Even though they can’t fully grasp the difference between the four, they know now—hopefully—that we go to school in the city of Sanford, in the state of NC, in the country of the United States, on the continent of North America. They also now know—hopefully—the names of the standard seven continents and the fact that there are 195 countries and many, many more cities in the world!

 

We have looked at a diagram on the white board. We have explored Google Earth. We have listened to and performed many different songs, chants, and raps. And this week, we are doing centers where students get to do one of four things: read children’s continent books/atlases, study the globe, color continent maps, or do continent puzzles…

 

Each year, teachers are required to create a Professional Development Plan. One of my goals for this year was to use centers in my classroom at least once. I knew the concept. I knew that it worked. But due to logistical issues and a bit of the fear of the unknown, I had put off achieving the goal for years. Last week, I decided that this week would be the week that I stopped talking and started doing. I’m so glad that I did.

 

I can’t tell you how thrilled my students have been with centers. They have exclaimed how fun they are. They have worked together to complete puzzles. They have cheered when completing said puzzles. They have gathered in groups to study the globes. They have been actively learning, and I have watched in awe as some of our most challenging students have completely transformed into fully engaged learners…

 

Honestly, I don’t know what musical concepts my 2^nd and 3^rd graders have gleaned from their unit on the Continents. But maybe it doesn’t matter. Because, personally, I have achieved a goal that has been a long time in coming and I have become a better teacher in the process. And maybe becoming better—maybe overcoming the fear of the unknown—maybe connecting learning to real life—maybe creating global citizens who realize that they aren’t the center of the universe—is the most important thing that I can teach…

   

Thank you, teachers, for the work that you do. Teach on. And teach well. And know that you make a difference. Amen.