T&L Music&Language: I Teach, So I Am

A Subject teacher complained vociferously about Arts teachers at a meeting.

“They don't know history, philosophy or pedagogy of education, “ she said. “we can't talk to them about anything related to our classroom or students. All day long they sing or sit around listening to songs.  They don't do anything. ”

There was a profound, deadly, uncomfortable silence. The forty or so Subject teachers looked down at the floor with small, uneasy smiles. They obviously agreed with the statement but didn't want to be associated with voicing it.

The much fewer Arts teachers looked around timidly. Except one male teacher. He gazed off into the distance as though he was not in the room, not at all concerned with the proceedings.

The facilitator let the moment sit and made no attempt to move the discussion in any direction.

After almost three minutes, the male Music teacher stood up.

“What do you do when you go home after school?” he asked the room in general.

“We have so much work,” the initial complainant said indignantly. “We cook, look after the family, we clean, we visit family and friends. There is so much work at home,”

“When I go home, I do what I do in school, “ said the male Music teacher simply. 

And sat down quietly.

Another silence reigned, another profound, deadly, uncomfortable silence. 

But he had made his point. 

And everyone knew it.

True, true, I grant you freely. A Female Music teacher may not claim so blithely to spend her afterschool time on music. She would probably recognize the responsibilities and activities her colleague listed!

But considering the point the Male Music teacher made, how do teachers spend their non-classroom time on their own learning? Continuous Professional Development is a mandated and recognized activity for teachers in schools. However, there are severe limitations to these programs which focus on learning to teach, traditionally focusing on updating subject content of what to teach and increasingly on pedagogy of how to teach. This is aimed at the teacher practitioner who functions in a classroom where the focus is on teaching students.

What about the performance aspect to Arts and Language teachers, which is hardly addressed? In what ways are teachers performers? What are the forums and stages available to them? How well and how much do they access these spaces?

Bear with me;

… I must pause till it come back to me.

(Can you place this quote, and complete it – without googling it?)