High School Chorus Adventures with Mrs. Branham

  Blog 16 I would rate this week as a 5/5. This week, I passed back all of my classes and completed my last observations. I also had the opportunity to conduct with supporting instrumentalists in preparation for the concert for the first time. It was a really good week! Again, my first period had a rough Monday followed by much better rehearsals for the rest of the week. It must just be something about Monday’s with this group! We have made really good progress toward our concert this week and I am looking forward to seeing the finished progress. It has been nice to observe my CE’s instructional style and other teacher’s classroom management skills as I am working at developing my own classroom management style. My short term goals and long term goals are aligned because I have completed everything in my long term goals for the semester! I am completely done!!! Whoop whoop! I am still working on the job search and have a few interviews next week. I am still facing apprehension ab...

  Blog 15 I would rate this week as a 5/5. This week, I passed back my afternoon classes and only taught my first and second period (concert choir and women’s choir). It was still a really good week! First period had a rough Monday which made me worried about the rest of the week, but we were able to redirect and have much better rehearsals for the rest of the week. We have made really good progress toward our concert this week and I am looking forward to seeing the finished progress. I have continued to grow in my classroom management so that I can have more efficient rehearsals with smoother transitions. My short term goals and long term goals are aligned because I am beginning to realize that I am actually going to graduate, haha! I am beginning to complete big chunks of my portfolio, and I am working hard right up until graduation day since we have a concert on May 6. My advice to my fellow student teachers is to keep the faith with job applications! I know that I have begun ...

  Blog for Full Week 10: April 16, 2021 I would rate this week as a 6/5. Yes, it was that good! This was our first week of full time teaching which made the BIGGEST difference in the choral music setting. The only challenge that we have faced is talking, but honestly, I am very aware that my students are excited to be back together again and haven’t been too discouraged by my having to provide redirection more often. My students have been able to get like four times the amount of work done this week because they have a bigger sound, and because they receive daily teacher reinforcement. While I am proud of the way that I managed the cohort-style and virtual learning settings, I am so excited to finally experience “real” chorus, even if only for one week. Before spring break, I was experiencing burnout and I was questioning my future in the career a bit. However, this week has been so much more like “what I signed up for” and it has been really life-giving :). While I have had to g...

  Blog for Full Week 9: April 1, 2021 I would rate this week as a 5/5. We had our last day with each cohort this week, and it is exciting to be planning for them all to be together after spring break! I have been pleasantly surprised by my students’ positive attitudes this week. Sometimes student restlessness before a break can manifest in different ways, but this time it was pleasant in our class. I accomplished a review in each class that demonstrated to me that my students are prepared for a smooth transition to plan A. I was able to make sure that both cohorts are performing at the same level of understanding in each class. I will build upon everything that I have done this semester when students return from spring break because both cohorts are finally going to be together! I am anxious to see how classroom management changes when my classes are larger but I am super excited to hear how the sound changes. My short term goals and long term goals are aligned because I am enter...