Inside the Choral Classroom: Advice for the First-Year Teacher (Part 3)

Where can I go for help? CAROLYN GROSS Years Teaching: 24 Midwestern Region Vocal Music Department Chair, Brownell Middle School Grosse Pointe Public School System GrossC@gpschools.org JACKSON HILL Years Teaching: 6 Southwest Region Elementary Choir Director, Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts jackson.hill@fwafa.org Years Teaching: 16 Southern Region Associate Professor and Director of Choral Activities, Georgia State University djoseph@gsu.edu DEANNA JOSEPH JOSEPH KEMPER Years Teaching: 11 Northwestern Region Visiting Assistant Professor of Music and Choir, Whitman College kemperjoseph@gmail.com JASON LEIGH Years Teaching: 22 Eastern Region General Music and Choir Director, Poquessing Middle School jleigh@neshaminy.org EMILY MERCADO Years Teaching: 16 Western Region Assistant Professor of Choral Music Education, The University of Utah Emily.Mercado@utah.edu Years Teaching: 18 Eastern Region Director of Music, Takoma Academy lmupfumbu@ta.edu LULU MWANGI MUPFUMBU JELANI WATKINS Years Teaching: 3 Midwestern Region Performing Arts Department Chair, Hawken School jelani.watkins@hawken.edu QUESTION #8 Dealing with first-year surprises: How should I approach navigating school politics and traditions with other teachers, parents, and administration? I am a new teacher taking over an established program. JASON LEIGH My usual advice to a newcomer is to get a sense for their building administration, their colleagues in both their department and their building, their support staff and, arguably most important, their community. Show respect to what has been built and get a sense for why parents and students love it.