What Goes Around…

My student teacher, Mr. Z, played on the teachers’ team in this year’s Faculty/Student Basketball game during our final pep session of the year.  He is fast, tenacious, and, most importantly, young, which means he can keep up with the 8th graders on the court.

Sad to say, but our teachers lost this year.  We were beaten for the first time ever by an 8th grade team lucky enough to hit two three-pointers.  Even so, with the clock running down, the score was 6-5 and the teachers had the ball with every reason to think we could pull off a come-from-behind victory.  Mr. Z went to the left while Mr. D threw up a long three-point attempt that missed from the right.  The rebound happened to go right into Mr. Z’s hands.  But as soon he made a move toward the bucket for an easy lay-up and a win, Ashley, a member of the 8th grade girl’s team, flagrantly fouled him.  And there was no whistle!  Every student in the crowd knew what had happened, but it was too late.  The clock ran down and the 8th graders flooded the court for a huge celebration.  Our long string of victories was brought down by a blown call.  Oh well… life goes on…

~~~~~~~~

The next day Mr. Z called the 8th grade General Music class to attention.

“I hope you remembered that we have a quiz today,” he said.  There was general acknowledgement, with only a few surprised looks.

“So, please take out a pencil and put away any notes you have out.  And be sure to write your names on the papers I’m handing out.”

With that he began moving around the room distributing tests.

“Mr. Z, you forgot me,” said Ashley.

“What’s that,” Mr. Z asked, turning toward her.

“I didn’t get a quiz,” she said politely.

“Oh,” he replied, with a mock look of surprise.  “I wasn’t sure you should get one.  I mean, how do I know you won’t cheat on it, like you cheated in the game yesterday,” he asked with a hint of a grin.

Ashley looked stunned, and then put her head down and broke into a big smile.

“Here,” he said, handing her a paper.  “But I’m watching you…”

A Band Director’s Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,

By your grace I am a teacher.  Thank you for placing me here at this school to make a difference in my students’ lives.

But I can’t do it on my own, so please help me.

Help me not to miss any details of things that need to be done, and help me not to be lazy.

Please help me be patient, kind, and wise; and help me handle discipline problems effectively, to be as gentle as possible, and as firm as necessary.

Help me be a friend to those who are lonely, and a father to those needing guidance.

And please help me provide the best band program possible for these students, because they need it.  Help me always remember that the program is here to serve the students, and not the other way around.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen.

~~~~~~~~

*You may also wish to read “A Band Director’s Prayer for His Students”

Having a Bad Day

Derek was having a bad day.  He was barely responding to my questions, and not following directions.  When I asked him to make a change to the crash cymbal part he was playing, he moved very slowly to the back of the room to get his music.  This, of course, irritated me because he was holding up the entire class and bringing our rehearsal to a grinding halt.

“Can you move more quickly, Derek?” I asked.  “Why don’t you have your music at your music stand?”

“I’m sharing with Trenton,” he said.

“But,” I explained for what seemed like the hundredth time, “I’ve told you before to always have your own music out so you can make notes in it when needed.  This kind of delay is costing you participation points,” I told him, feeling my frustration mounting.

“I don’t even want to be in Band!” he snapped.

“Why don’t you wait in the hallway?  We have one too many drummers, anyway,” I popped off, instantly regretting it.

This wasn’t the first time in 20 years of teaching that I have spoken carelessly.  And, sadly, it probably won’t be the last.  But I have always had the policy that if I mess up like this in front of the Band, I will apologize in front of the Band.  So…

“I’m sorry, Derek.  That was inappropriate, and I shouldn’t have said it.  Now, will you please wait for me in the hallway?”  Derek headed for the door.

Turning to my student teacher, I asked, “Mr. Z., will you please lead rehearsal for a few minutes?”  He came right to the podium and took over while I, too, headed for the door.

Once in the hallway, I asked in a quiet voice, “What’s going on today, Derek?  I know you occasionally have an off day, but you aren’t usually like this.  I don’t believe you want to quit Band after three years.  Is there something you want to talk about?”

Derek’s attitude changed completely.  Instead of being difficult or defiant, he was respectful.

“Me and my sister gotta go to CPS today to talk about our mom,” he said.  I had to think for a moment, but I realized CPS means Child Protective Services.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“My mom’s been doin’ drugs, and now CPS wants to ask us about it ‘cause she’s been doin’ drugs in front of us.”

It’s still hard for me to believe there are kids – a lot of them – who have to grow up in these kinds of situations.

“Well,” I offered, “there probably isn’t much I can do, but if there is, please let me know, even if you just want to come by and talk.”

Derek nodded.

“In the meantime,” I continued, “you can stay out here in the hallway if you want to.  I would understand.  But I’ll bet you would rather rejoin the rehearsal.  Let’s get your mind on learning this music and doing your best.  It will help you get this other stuff out of your head for a little bit.”

He nodded again.

“And, Derek, I really am sorry for my comment.”

“It’s o.k.,” he told me.  “I’m sorry for what I said, too.”

“No problem.  Let’s go back to class.”

What Is It With Lockers?

Not long ago I told you about Ethan’s magic locker (see it here – http://wp.me/p2fXmE-a7).  Now comes this story.

The other day an 8th grader named Peter stopped me in the hallway at Backpack Middle School and said he couldn’t get his locker open.

“No problem,” I told him.  “What’s the combination?”

“22-28-38,” he said.

So I tried it for him and, sure enough, it wouldn’t open.  I tried it a second time, but no luck.

“I’m stuck.  I don’t know what’s wrong,” I said.

“Here, Mr. Shaver,” said Mrs. Crowder, who had seen what we were trying to do.  “I have a key.”

“Oh, good.  Thank you.”  I said, opening the locker.

Seeing the inside of it, Peter started laughing.  “My bad,” he said.

“What?” I asked.

“That’s not my locker,” he answered, with an embarrassed smile.

Guns in Schools

(picture credit: finnslego.wordpress.com)

According to the CBS Boston local news website, a five year old school boy recently made a toy gun out of Legos, then ran around his classroom pointing it at other students while making shooting noises.  So the school made the boy’s mother sign a paper saying that if the child did this again he would be suspended.  According to the superintendent, the school has a responsibility to create an atmosphere of respect in which students “feel comfortable and not intimidated in school.”

You can read about it here:  http://boston.cbslocal.com/2013/01/29/hyannis-5-year-old-threatened-with-suspension-for-making-gun-out-of-legos/

A few questions come to mind:

1. Why was the student allowed to run around the room?  Would it have been o.k if he had been walking?
2. Why not just take away the Legos? Or require that students have a license to play with them?
3. Could this have been the offending student’s (misguided) way of making the other students respect him?
4. What should be done if the student trades in his Legos for a “hand gun?”  You know, what if he points his finger and raises his thumb to make a gun?

~~~~~~~~~~

This morning as I was greeting students in the hallway at Backpack Middle School on their way to first period, one of my 8th graders came along with his hand in the shape of a gun.  Personally, I think he was simply pointing at something down the hallway, but these days we can’t be too cautious.

“Stephen (not his real name),” I called, waving for him to stop and come see me.  “What are you doing with that gun?  You know that is supposed to be left in your locker during school hours.”

He looked down at his hand, then back up at me.

“Next time, I’ll have to confiscate it and turn it in to the office, and your parents will have to come into the school to get it back for you.” I told him.  “Now, holster that thing before someone gets hurt.”

So with a grin, he stuck his hand in his pocket and went on to class.

Mr. Z

The past three weeks have been about as busy as any I can recall.  Before Christmas break, I felt like I had everything under control; the job even seemed easy.  Since the break I have been scrambling just to hold it all together from day to day.

Primarily, we have been in a mad rush to prepare for the annual Solo and Ensemble Festival in which students earn medals by performing individually and in small groups in front of judges.  Preparations include daily after-school practices, which are done before plans are made for the next day’s classes.  This means my school days are much longer than normal this time of year, so it has been tiresome, to say the least.  However, all the extra time with the students is well worth it as this is the month of the year when they make the greatest progress on their instruments.  The festival was last Saturday, and overall the students did a fantastic job.  For starters, this is the first year I can remember when everyone showed up.  No one even got sick.  Secondly, the number of Gold awards we received far outnumbered the Silvers.  So all in all, it was a good effort.

Our success this year was due in part to the extra help I’ve received from my new student teacher, who the students call Mr. Z, since his last name starts with a Z, which they think is cool.  I always wanted a nickname.  Occasionally, a student calls me Mr. S, but it has never really caught on.  One year the high school band students were getting sweatshirts with their names on the back, so they got me one that said, “Mr. S.”  I thought it was great, until a student commented that from a distance it looked like my sweatshirt said “Mrs.”  Since this was decidedly not cool, I stopped wearing it.  But I digress…

As I was saying, Mr. Z has already made a significant contribution.  We were able to divide up the after school rehearsals and give the students a lot more attention than I could have given them myself, so most of the groups were well prepared for yesterday’s performances.

Mr. Z has also been a big help in my general music classes teaching rhythm counting, note naming, and guitar playing.  The students there have taken a quick liking to him, as well.  Each day after 6^th period he and I have to walk from the Band room to the General Music room.  Since it takes a couple minutes to make the switch, the 7^th period students have to wait in the hallway outside the music room until we arrive.  Lately they have taken to forming a tunnel through which Mr. Z can walk to unlock the door.

Normally, I would be concerned that a student teacher who is so well liked is going to have trouble controlling his classes, but that hasn’t yet been the case.  He seems able so far to maintain a rapport with the students while also earning their respect.   Case in point:  a couple days ago Mr. Z was teaching the 8^th grade music students a new chord on the guitar (by the way, he is quite a good guitarist, which they also think is cool…).

“Here is how you play a simple G chord,” Mr. Z told the class.”  Just place your third finger on the third fret of the first string and play the first three strings, like so…”  At this, he demonstrated playing a G chord.

“Now, everyone strum a G chord one time together so I can see if you’ve got it,” he continued.

At this point, the students proceeded to play numerous G chords, producing a predictably chaotic mess of sound.

“Whoa.  Stop,” he said.  “Not good.  ‘Strum once,’ means you play one time.  So… if you’re counting, you go… ‘One,’” he demonstrated with a single strum and a deadpan delivery.

I thought this was hilarious, and told him so later.  He told me that he had felt quite frustrated at the time he said this.  If so, he covered it up very well.  Instead, it came across to me as a perfectly appropriate use of humorous sarcasm that made the point.  The next time the students tried playing the chord, they played it one time.  They had gotten the point without losing their respect for him.

It has only been three weeks, but yes, I think Mr. Z is going to work out just fine.  And I’m thinking of taking guitar lessons…

There We Went a Caroling

Today for the first time I got to take a field trip with a combined group of both band and choir students.  So it was fun and funny to see their personality differences.  Kids who join Band generally don’t want to sing; kids who join Choir can’t hold it in.  No matter how short the trip on the bus (we made three stops), the choir members always had a song to sing and a reason to sing it.  Over the course of the trip we were treated to an encore of their Christmas concert one song at a time.  I commented to our choir director that singers take their instruments with them everywhere they go and use them at will, while people would think it odd if one of my Band kids were to bust out his tuba and herald us with a hip rendition of Jingle Bells.

On October 4 I reported here that my students had begun rehearsing after school for a caroling field trip to the local nursing homes.  19 BandLand citizens and 17 Choir students loaded up a school bus this morning and drove across the street to the Autumnwood assisted living center where we performed 25 minutes worth of Christmas music for the residents.  We then went a half block down the street to Miller’s Merry Manor and repeated our performance.  When finished, we drove a mile to the other side of town and had lunch at Pizza Shack.

The only glitch of the day came in the middle of God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen when I looked over to see why Keagan wasn’t playing.  He looked rather pale, so I silently mouthed, “Are you alright?”  He shook his head no, so I helped him to a seat while the students kept right on playing.  Keagan later told me that all he had eaten for breakfast was a half a doughnut.  No wonder he needed a rest.

It was fun to watch the students as we entered each location.  Someone always knew someone there, such as the facility administrator, a resident, or a waitress.  One elderly lady came over to me at Autumnwood to say hello.  She reminded me that her granddaughter Christina was a flute player in BandLand 10 years ago.  And she wanted to say thanks for the good music.

One of my 8th graders, Brittney, got to play her clarinet for her grandfather who has lived at Miller’s for 4 1/2 years now.  Brittney’s grandmother (who was also there, though not as a resident) told me that 6 years ago her husband underwent operations for multiple brain tumors.  He had not been expected to live, but by the grace of God he was there today to hear his eldest granddaughter perform.

My goals today included providing my students with an extra opportunity to play their instruments, to get the Band some positive exposure in the community, and to teach the kids to give a little back.   Because of all the family connections in our small Hoosier town, relatively little things like playing Christmas carols can go a long way.

The students’ goals were mostly to get out of class and eat pizza.  It may be that everyone got what they wanted.

An Eventful Week

Tuesday this week my Concert Band students had an after-school rehearsal to prepare for Wednesday’s Christmas Concert.  Then, since I had to stay in town to help with the high school band during a basketball game, I went over to Jim Dandy’s restaurant for a bite to eat.  The dining room was packed with older people, though I didn’t know why.  Thankfully, a booth was open, so I had a seat, ordered my food, and read my book.  When I went to check out, my $7.89 meal rang up as only $5.13.

“There must be some mistake,” I told the cashier, “I’m sure my meal was more than that.”

“Nope,” she said, showing me the ticket.  And there, much to my shock, I read, “Senior Citizen Discount… -$2.76.”

“What!?!  That’s not right… in so many ways.  I still have ten years to go for that.  Please feel free to charge me the regular amount,” I begged.  “It’s not like I’m on a fixed income, yet.”

She just laughed and said that would be the price.  So I paid the $5.13, and added a 40% tip just to show I could afford it.  Besides, I didn’t want the waitress to be penalized simply for feeling sorry for me.

~~~~~

“So what did you think of your performance?” I asked my 6^th graders during first period this morning.  The Backpack Schools presented their Christmas Band Concert last night, and everything seemed to go well.  With few exceptions the students played and behaved as I had hoped they would.  Of course, there were the usual hiccups, like when three different drummers couldn’t remember where they had set their music.  But they found it, and the show went on.

“I was nervous because my mom sat right there in the front row,” said one student.

Another student said, “I got really hungry in the middle of the concert.”

“Didn’t you eat beforehand?” I asked.

“No, but my mom had gotten me a Big Mac to eat in the car after the concert.”

“What do you mean?  The Big Mac sat in the car for 90 minutes before you ate it?”

“Yes, but it was delicious!” she said.

“Anyone else?” I asked.

“It was the most memorable thing I have ever done,” said a 6th grader named Alex.  I studied his face to see if he was being funny, but he was absolutely serious.

“I’m glad,” I said.

~~~~~

Today I received notes from several staff members and parents asking me to tell the students how enjoyable the concert had been, which I did.  And, in keeping with our tradition, rather than having a rehearsal, I took time with each class to review and learn from the experience.

When the comments had all been shared, we had some fun playing my own version of 20 questions that pits the boys against the girls.  The kids had a great time, and the game turned into quite a competition.  At one point, a girl gave a wrong answer which cost her team a point.  But her teammates were encouraging to her and didn’t make her feel bad about it.

“After years of playing this game with classes,” I said to the students, “I’ve noticed that when a girl makes a mistake the other girls are sympathetic and understanding.  But when a boy makes a mistake, the other boys do a verbal pile-on, basically saying, ‘KILL HIM!'”

Just as I said these last couple words, the BandLand door opened and our school superintendent entered the room.  I could have died.

“I just wanted to stop by and tell you all how much I enjoyed the concert,” he said with a smile.

“Oh.  Thank you.  And I’ll be sure to pass that along to my other classes today,” I replied.

~~~~~

When class ended I went to my computer and learned that Jon, one of my 8th grade trombone players, had been selected for this year’s Jr. All-State Band.  His audition earned him 3rd chair out of 12 trombone players.  Now this was a big deal, so I sent out an email to the entire school system explaining that Jon is the first student from our school to ever make it into the Jr. All-State Band.  Before long I had received notes from people like the assistant superintendent and a bus driver asking me to pass along their congratulations.  Another note came from the superintendent inviting Jon to attend the next school board meeting so the board members can acknowledge his accomplishment.

When I shared all of this with Jon he just beamed.  “All the hard work is paying off, isn’t it?” I asked him.

“Yes, it is.” he answered.

“Well, keep it up.  You should be proud of yourself.”

One other person who should be proud of herself is my daughter Angela (warning:  fatherly bragging to follow).  We found out this morning that she also made the All-State Band.  In fact, this is the third year in a row for her, and the second year in a row that she will be the first chair oboe player.  Much credit for this accomplishment goes to the two oboe teachers she has had:  her first teacher, Mr. Steve Dingledine of Muncie, IN, and her current teacher, Mrs. Pam French of Carmel, IN.

Angela was so excited that she screamed when I called her on the phone to tell her.  Of course, being a home school student, she won’t get any invitations to appear before the school board, but it is just as big a deal.  Perhaps we will have to take her and the family out for a celebration dinner.

~~~~~

Last spring I posted a blog entitled, “A Band Director’s Prayer for His Students (March 26, 2012).”  Over the last several months it has come to be the most viewed entry on Hall Pass, for which I am gratified.  I had no idea this would happen; I assumed one of the more humorous postings would take that honor.

This week I learned that the student webmaster for the Cathedral High School band program in Indianapolis reposted it on behalf of her band director Kathy McCullough as their Prayer for the Month of December (http://www.gocathedral.com/page.cfm?p=2674).

One of the last lines of the prayer says, “I pray my students will learn they are capable of doing much more than they ever thought possible.”  I think it is possible that God has answered this prayer at least in part this week.

Reading Time

“Good book, Mark?” I asked.  Each morning all Backpack Middle School students spend 20 minutes silently reading something of their choice like a book, magazine, newspaper, or increasingly, something electronic.  Since my first period class is Cadet Band, I have 6^th graders in BandLand during reading time.

In answer to my question, Mark nodded and showed me the cover of his book:  Old Tractors, and the Men Who Love Them.

“Good choice,” I said, “Carry on.”  Mark’s reading choices are always, shall we say, practical, like a catalog of firearms, or the mechanical specs of farm machinery.

Most students choose to read fiction.  Books like the Warriors series by Erin Hunter and the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer seem especially popular.  A few years ago, there was a waiting list in the library for any book in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, but interest has faded a bit.  Other favorites include Diary of a Wimpy Kid, by Jeff Kinney, anything with Calvin and Hobbes, by Bill Watterson (never goes out of style), and, occasionally, the Bible.

Sometimes a student will forget a book for reading time, which gives me the opportunity to suggest one of the classics I enjoyed as a kid, like The Call of the Wild, by Jack London.  One day not long ago, a student named Jacob asked me for a recommendation, so I offered him my copy of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, the first book in The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis.  He looked a little skeptical, so I said,

“Usually, when students forget their books I have them write sentences.”

“What’s the sentence,” Jacob asked, not thinking too clearly.

“You would have to write 40 times, ‘Reading a book would be better than wasting time writing these sentences.’”

“I think I’ll read the book,” he decided.

“Good choice,” I said, as he returned to his seat, began reading, and was quickly hooked; now he is half way through Prince Caspian.

Ethan’s Magic Locker

“You’ll never believe what happened, Mr. Shaver,” said Ethan.  School had just ended and I was on my way back to BandLand when he stopped me in the hallway to share his story.

“Let’s hear it,” I replied.

“Well, everything was going along fine today, but the strangest thing happened after 6th period.  I went to my locker like always, but when I opened it, everything was gone,” he said.

“Everything?  What do you mean?” I asked.

“Yes, everything.  Papers, books, folders, everything.”

“That must have been a bit unnerving,” I said.  Ethan is a highly motivated student who does his best at everything he tries.  His locker is probably one of the most organized in the school, maybe the world.  The very thought that he would misplace a paper or book – or, heaven forbid, a homework assignment – would cause him severe anxiety.  So I can only imagine how upset he must have been to lose his entire locker…

“So what did you do?” I asked.

“Well, I closed it… then I re-did the combination and opened it again to make sure it wasn’t a trick, or my imagination, or something,” he said, “But everything was still gone.”

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at the thought of this, but by this time he was laughing, too.

“What did you do next?”

“Well,” he explained (being a thoughtful young man, Ethan starts a lot of his sentences with the word “Well”), “I went to the office, which is where I found all my stuff on the counter-top.  You see, some student is transferring to another school, so the office staff sent someone to clean out his locker, which is #178, but the person cleaned out locker #78, instead.”

“So it was all a big mistake?”

“Yes.  It was just a misunderstanding.” he finished, clearly relieved.

“Well,” I replied, “Now you have a great story to tell.”

“I sure do!  See you tomorrow,” he said, as he took off to catch his bus.