How Does He Do That?

On Friday night our elementary school students had their Spring Program. Elementary school programs are usually....well...just OK. I mean you have little kids with wobbly voices, loud voices and/or off-tune voices. They are usually only exciting because your kid is in it.  Another thing I've noticed over the almost-eighteen years we have had children in school, are the stories that come home from school about the stress of practicing for the programs. "Mom, the boys were SO BAD in music today, the teacher got SO MAD today in music, we had to stay in for recess today because we aren't getting the song right.  (Keep in mind, my kids have gone to a number of schools and had a number of teachers for music and these comments have happened over the years)

Until this year, this year we had a new music teacher and I sorta rolled my eyes (inside my head) and thought, "poor guy". Middle school students vary so much. Then I started hearing Mr S quotes...."Mr S. did this, Mr S did that, Mr. S is funny, we got to play a game during music, he told us we are awesome."  I jokingly told my husband that I would get rich if I had a quarter for every time that teacher's name was mentioned.

The Christmas program rolled around and I waited for the frustration stories. I heard none. I wondered if they would get ready for the Christmas program, if they kept playing games during music class. They had a wonderful Christmas program!

Then the Spring program happened and I was IMPRESSED!  Sixth grade boys singing out and singing well. Seventh and eighth grade boys singing audibly, not just audible they song was great! I expected the girls to sing, but they outdid themselves.

So how does this teacher pull that kind of cooperation out of the students?

Somewhere between Christmas and Spring, I had a few opportunities to eavesdrop and I heard a few things that might play into it...a few lessons for me too. I don't believe I ever heard a teacher so full of compliments to his students, they weren't fake-y empty ones he seems to genuinely like his students. I pondered how he kept order in his classroom, wouldn't the students just run all over him. Somehow he knew just when to get serious and just when to tell a story. Possibly he needs to write a book.

Thank you students and Mr S for a very enjoyable evening.

Dear Shekinah sporting her new glasses and her new dress.

Ready for the performance