Chaz Shipman is the band director in a school district in Butler/Armstrong Counties, Pennsylvania. Like so many teachers we know, the pandemic promoted him to evaluate his career and thinking as a teacher. The news media continue to focus on the exodus of teachers from the profession. Less attention is paid to teachers like Chaz who grew into a better teachers because of the pandemic. To you have a similarly inspiring story. Please share it through a post.
Rethinking Teaching
Chaz Shipman
This past year provided me with more than enough talking points. The pandemic transformed my thinking as an educator and reshaped how I move forward with my teaching career. Since last March, I can reflect on the circumstances around the pandemic, how it offered time to evaluate my life’s course, and how I moved forward towards becoming a better version of an educational leader.
The pandemic changed everything that I planned as a music educator. In a typical year, I would create performances and trips for my students. On average, I would have hundreds of students in the band program. Then things changed. There was no more school, no more socialization, and no chance to bring out my students’ best qualities. Instead of in-person learning and building those memories that made my program and myself more robust, I resorted to video conferences and emails. Once the next school year commenced, I spent most of my time trying to figure out ways to teach musical instruments over the computer, with many dozens of students at any given time. Impossible? No. Difficult? Absolutely.
The emotional struggle solidified as things started to take a turn for the worse. The band program lost almost one-third of the students involved, coupled with the inability to prompt students towards learning a musical instrument in our elementary schools because of the pandemic. Everything that I tried to build up over the last decade diminished, so I thought. I questioned myself for many months about what I could do differently to help, with no sign of getting better. My entire approach to teaching, learning, and doing had to change with the changing climate. I knew that change needed to happen at school, but I was unwilling to accept that things had to be different until many months into the process.
I started to change as the months went on, for the better in many ways. As an educator, I re-evaluated what was necessary as part of the band classes: interaction, checking in on the students’ mental health, and developing new ways to approach music performances. I made it a fact to check in with students weekly about how they are doing as people and as students, hoping that interacting with them on a social-emotional learning level might allow them to keep that virtual connection with me. It seemed to work, and I received a lot of feedback that students appreciated those interactions. I know that it may have gone against the curriculum and how I approach a typical band rehearsal, but it was essential for my growth as an educator in these times. My students needed to know that I understood that the struggle was real, and I was there to help them through it.
As far as music performances went, I adjusted as best as I could. Finally, I offered music concerts again after almost two years, even if they were socially distanced, outside with laundry clips to hold their music on the stands, and in not-so-perfect weather conditions. Perfection was not the goal but allowing performances mattered to my students and me. I grew as a teacher and leader under these circumstances. I learned about how everything is possible when I try to make things better. Overall, this experience started as a situation and turned into a beautiful opportunity for self-realization and self-improvement. I am so proud of myself for making lemonade out of lemons.
The challenges of the pandemic presented an opportunity for showing my leadership skills. The different ways that I responded showed that I developed a better understanding of what it takes to be a leader in my work and life. I started to take my role as a teacher as a day-by-day journey, cherish and enrich my interactions and responses to the pandemic with the students. If I did not take the time to understand that my teaching needed to change, I would never grow as an educator or meet my expectations for the educational leader that I want to become. This year was eye-opening, and it offered a chance for me to understand what is important to me moving forward in my career.
This experience shaped my version of what educational leadership looks like and how I will move forward past the worst parts that the pandemic brought to my school and music program. I challenged myself to get through this pandemic year, both professionally and personally. My leadership skills were on display at all times, and how I responded to the challenges presented means something to the people in my life. I learned a fundamental concept over this experience: different is not always bad! I used to think that change meant that something would worsen. Reading and reflecting makes me realize that genuinely effective educators build on the process of constant change towards self-improvement and self-actualization. I know that I need to build on my leadership skills daily and allow change to happen.
This pandemic was not the end of the world for education, but a new beginning to build on what we learned! It made me think and listen more, talk less, and respond to situations differently. My students and their families deserve the best version of me, even during uncertain times.
Identity Professional Development Website Reflection
After investigating and spending time within the Nexus Site, there were a handful of elements that stood out to me.
Hi!
I truly appreciated this post because it highlighted the fact that the pandemic brought many issues to light that were not being addressed before. When there is not an outside force making us change our methods, it is incredibly difficult to do so, even if we know there is room for improvement. As you pointed out, the pandemic gave many the time to evaluate their lives and think about how they could change them for the better. It is wonderful how you took this opportunity and used it to reshape your teaching to benefit your students, despite the difficulties. I especially admire how you refocused your teaching on student-teacher interactions in order to check up on them and their mental health. Validating their struggles and pain and simply being there for them was exactly what students needed during this time. All of this still holds true for teaching now. I think that the resiliency and compassion you demonstrated are two of the most important aspects of teaching. Constant change is absolutely necessary, because, without it, we would not be able to adapt and build on our skills. Additionally, children need that example so that they can learn how to grow. As you stated, “different is not always bad”, and it is important for children to see this truth through the leadership of their teachers. Thank-you so much for this post, as it helped me to see the need for relating to students and constantly improving my skills in order to become the best teacher I can be.