Music helps me think (about teaching)

Music inspires me in everything I do. Writing on this blog or working is no exception to that fact. Music is so incredibly thought –provoking that leaves me with no option but reflecting. That is why I chose some lyrics’ quotations that made me think about teaching with some of my thoughts attached.  Without further introduction, I leave you with the quotes.

“I want you to notice when I’m not around” – Radiohead

This particular sentence is something I can imagine some students say. Sometimes when you teach to many students it is difficult to remember every student’s face and name. Students know if you don’t know them; some of them won’t care and some of them will feel their world fall to pieces. In my opinion, we as teachers must be careful not to shut anyone out, and make an effort to recognize at least one thing about everyone. That will mean the world to some of them.

“I'm falling, so I'm taking my time on my ride” – Twenty One Pilots

To me, this could be a message to every teacher that is having a hard time. Sometimes you might have a personal problem that affects in the way your lessons are developing. Just let it be, take your time. Give yourself enough time to recover and don’t be hard on yourself if you’re not being the best teacher you know you can be. It happens sometimes.

“I tried to swim to the side, but my feet got caught in the middle. And I thought I'd seen the light
but, oh no, I was just stuck on the puzzle” – Alex Turner

I like this quotation because I can imagine it being sung by either a teacher or a student.

Students may not learn anything sometimes, they may get into some trouble, and they make big mistakes. They may think they’d seen the light but they were just wrong once again. That does not mean they can’t do better though. Let’s keep in mind that just like everyone in this world, they are learning; so, let’s try not to make them think they will always do things in the wrong way.

Teachers, on the other hand, might think they have awesome ideas to have an extraordinary lesson in which everyone will learn and have fun like they never did. When bidding, sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. That lesson can be either a mess or totally boring even for you. Let’s remember we are also learning day by day. Even if we are completely sure that we’d seen the light/we are on the right track, we might be just stuck on the puzzle.

These are just three quotations that I considered relevant. What do you think? Do the quotes make you think about teaching like me? Does music even help you reflect on uncommon things (like your job)? Let me know! I’d love to read your comments.