David’s 2013 Teacher of the Year Presentation:
1. Dialogue with other teachers.
• Try things you haven’t done before.
• Gauge reactions and interest.
• Be open to new ideas and other methods.
2. Follow through with promises to students.
• If you say you will have a piece ready by next lesson, follow through.
• If you tell the student they will be working on X, Y, and Z, then work on those things on a consistent basis.
3. Locate each student’s potential / interests and maximize that.
• As we all know, each student learns differently.
• Let them show you how they learn best. Ask them a lot of questions, like: “how is this for you?”, “are you okay with this?”, etc.
• Have a plan A, then a plan B, and then a plan C.
• If you can get a student excited about plan B or C, then you could also get them interested in plan A.
4. Talk to parents as often as you can.
• If you have concerns, look for constructive ways to solve problems.
• Keep parents in the loop.
• Behavioral issues are, in my experience, most often just a lack of interest manifested as “misbehaving”. Find that student’s true interest.
5. Let students explore creativity.
• Play with students as often as you can.
• Improvise with them.
• Let them create rules for the improvisation. Make up a story line.
• Follow their lead! Kids are so in touch with creativity; we could all learn a lot from our students.
6. Always look for ways to help your student.
• If the lesson time feels like it’s passing quickly, we’re probably doing something right!
• I find it helpful to think about students outside of lesson time, in a relaxed way. I’ll often come up with good ideas and directions during this casual mode of thought.
