This Award is for YOU!

 

Today’s post is all about YOU!

It’s been a tough year.

Some of us are done.  Some of us have a couple of weeks left to go.

I want to take the time to tell you,

YOU ARE THE WORLD’S MOST AWESOME STRING TEACHER!!!

Why?

Because this is what you did this year….

 

You survived the stress of:

• Not knowing what school was going to look like until the last minute.
• Never knowing what the next day was even going to look like.
• Pivoting back and forth from physical to virtual school at a moment’s notice.
• Redesigning or recreating all your lessons so that they can be taught virtually
• Endless hours of research to figure out the best online resources to use.
• Learning to use new virtual teaching platforms and new apps.
• Learning how to record and make videos so your students can make music together somehow.
• Losing students in your program yet continuing on with those who stayed.
• Dealing with possible program cuts.
• Advocating for the continued growth of your program.
• Rearranging your classroom and putting in every measure possible to make it safe for everyone.
• Dealing with broken strings because somehow students have to tune their own instruments without your help.
• Dealing with all the inevitable accidents that happen when students have their instruments at home all the time.
• Trying to teach when you can’t see all your students because they can’t or won’t turn on their video.
• Trying to teach students you can’t even hear.
• Trying to create community without being able to play music together online.
• Trying to address your students’ mental health when you can barely take care of your own.
• Trying to balance your home life with teaching online.
• Still not knowing what the new school year is going to look like.

 

And came out a stronger person, knowing you can get through anything!

 

You’ve also been selflessly:

• Keeping a positive attitude even though every day you feel like quitting.
• Bending over backwards to find ways to teach both live and virtually and make it work for everyone.
• Finding creative solutions to include both your virtual and physical students in performances so no one is left out.
• Driving to every students’ home to make sure they have instruments.
• Driving to every students’ home again to make sure their instruments are in tune.
• Jumping in with both feet to ensure inclusiveness in your curriculum every time another issue of societal inequality was revealed.
• Spending endless hours editing audio and video to make sure your students have a concert to share with their families so they can be proud of their accomplishments.

 

And came out even more dedicated to the success of your students than ever.

 

And you also:

• Came together as a community in discussion groups to help each other out.
• Shared your ideas and resources with each other.
• Helped each other through tough times.
• Took advantage of new virtual opportunities for professional development.
• And built a bigger, stronger community.

 

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

 

And even if you didn’t do all these things, even if you just scraped by…

 

YOU STILL ROCK!!!

 

Now enjoy the most well-deserved summer of your career, and really, really, truly enjoy it this year!

 

P.S. I know there is more than what I came up with in this list.  Please let me know what else you would like to be recognized for!

P.P.S.  Please download and print a copy of your award and really acknowledge yourself for what you’ve accomplished!

DOWNLOAD:  Awesome-String-Teacher-Award.pdf