North Carolina Music Educator Journal Summer 2021

Elementary
Summer of 2021, waaaaaay better than summer of 2020.
We all made it through the crazy pandemic school year
where changes happened on almost a monthly basis. It
was exhausting. New technology (soooooo much technology!),
teaching in masks, social distancing, virtual students, minimal
singing and instrument playing for a little while. More parent
contacts, online assignment platforms, Zooms/Google Meets,
Social Emotional Learning. Quarantine, temperature checks,
disinfectant, lots of attendance forms. No concerts, dances, family
nights, community performances. The most difficult year for
veteran teachers, and a strange time for new teachers coming into
the profession.
It’s time to recharge our batteries.
And what happens when you charge something? The battery
level goes from nearly nothing to 100%. There is a chemical
reaction within the cell that stores electrical energy, to be used
later. How long will the charge last? Depends on how much you
use the energy! My friends, we have abused our batteries this past
year! What happens when you keep recharging the same battery?
The energy storage of a battery can be divided into three
sections known as the available energy that can instantly be
retrieved, the empty zone that can be refilled, and the unusable
part that has become inactive as part of use and aging.
As the unusable portion of the battery grows, the charge time
shortens because there is less to fill. In most cases, the decrease is
linear and capacity fade is mostly a function of cycle count and age.
A deep discharge stresses the battery more than a partial discharge.
It is therefore better not to discharge the battery fully but charge it
more often. Lithium- and nickel-based batteries deliver between
300 and 500 full discharge/charge cycles before the capacity drops
below 80 percent.
Specifications of a device are always based on a new battery.
This is only a snapshot, which cannot be maintained over any
length of time. As with any shiny new machine, the battery
will fade and if left unchecked, the reduced runtime can lead to
battery-related breakdowns. A pack should be replaced when the
capacity drops to 80 percent; however, the end-of-life threshold
can vary according to application, user preference and company
policy.
As teachers, we really are like batteries. The more we do those
Dawn Wilson, Chair
quick weekend recharges, the less capacity we have over time.
There are many ways in which we can recharge our personal and
professional batteries, and it is unique to the individual. As music
teachers, we have ways of quickly recharging as needed when we
engage in our own personal music making. What we all know,
however, is that summers ARE needed for recharging. Based on
the above description, we have used our batteries throughout the
year and summers are needed for REPLACING batteries.
I took a quick survey of teachers, and the number one thing
we do during the summer is: Spending time with family and
friends. Not surprising, many of us spend time with TEACHER
friends. Forty-eight percent of us! Other answers repeated often
include: time outside (beach, hiking/walking, boating, kayaking),
vacations/travel, SLEEP, reading, video games, TV, and hobbies.
Everything on the list is predictable, all of these activities
make perfect sense! We should all be engaging in several of them
each summer in order to obtain our new batteries for the new
school year. What is a little curious, however, is an activity that
was absent from the list this year that I always hear: Professional
Development.
Nearly every teacher I know does some type of professional
development over the summer, even if it is on their own,
researching ideas for the coming school year. Interesting that not
one person had that answer this year, and yet…. We all have had
more training on technology this past year than we have in the past
10. We have been given so many more tools, we can go into the
new 2021 – 22 school year well prepared and READY.
What are all the positives we gained this past pandemic year?
• Streamlining our teaching of the standards and objectives.
We’ve learned what is most important, and how we can best
implement new strategies, provide differentiation.
• Increased knowledge of sanitizing instruments, air
exchange/filter rates.
• Better student/family communication.
• If we have to meet as a class online, breakout rooms for
group work and sectionals.
• Technology Tools: Zoom, Teams, Meets, Google Classroom,
Schoology, Dojo, Seesaw, Nearpod, Flipgrid, Audacity, and
on and on.
• Social skills are important; for students and teachers.
• Time management.
• Students learning more life skills at home.
• The importance of the arts for emotional health.
And another survey question, What inspires you to keep
teaching? Ninety-eight percent answered it’s the students. The kids.
“I love helping students grow in knowledge, and as citizens
and individuals.”
“Knowing I make a difference in the lives of so many children.”
“Teaching is my passion. I don’t know what else that would
give me this fulfillment.”
“I love the classroom community I help to build.”
“It’s a job with purpose.”
“I love the kids, I love to learn with them. I want to pass a love
for learning to the next generation.”
“Building those relationships with ‘bad’ students and helping
them see their potential and achieve greatness.”
“Knowing I am working to positively impact my community.”
“Those ‘aha!’ and light bulb moments.”
“Seeing kids grow in confidence and skills.”
“Students that come back later and say thank you.”
If you have read this far, you have probably nodded in
agreement a few times, or shaken your head because this is nothing
it's time
TO START A
Tri-M MUSIC
honor
SOCIETY CHAPTER
new. You already know all of this information. And guess what?
That’s exactly what makes all of us a community, what connects us;
we have all responded in different ways, had to teach in different
situations, make choices, and yet… at the core… we are all the
same. How reassuring to know we are not alone. So when you are
feeling overwhelmed, reach out to a teacher friend. When you
need to vent, when you need support, find that teacher bestie from
work. When you find some new awesome activity you want to
try next year, or a list of books you want to purchase, new music,
new instruments… reach out to a teacher friend and let them get
excited with you.
Cue music:
“We’re All in This Together” from High School Musical or
“You’ve Got a Friend in Me” from Toy Story. “That’s What Friends
Are For” from the Jungle Book (or if you like the Dionne Warwick
song better, listen to that one!) “I’ll Be There for You” by the
Rembrandts. So many to choose from.
If you haven’t recruited anyone to the many benefits of NCMEA
membership, please share info about our organization. If you
haven’t been actively involved in your section, please consider
sharing your ideas. I urge you to attend the NCMEA Professional
Development Conference in Winston-Salem, November 6 – 9.
Go out and get those new batteries! The 2021 – 22 school year
is going to be a time of rebuilding programs and getting back out
into the community. I can hardly wait to see and hear about all the
positive changes across our state. Please stay in touch, and know
that the elementary board wants your participation and input.
Strengthen your school’s
Music. Honor. And Society.
Starting a Tri-M ® Music Honor
Society chapter will help show the
value of your music program to
the school. It will also benefit your
students by allowing them to:
• Build an impressive record for
college
• Grow as leaders in music
• Serve their community
Ready to start a chapter?
Visit MusicHonors.com
®
Tri-M@nafme.org | 1-800-336-3768
S
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