I have wanted to post something like this for a while, but I decided today was the perfect day because my friend Rachel Tanenblatt is hosting a blog link (Her first ever!). Click on the pic to get to the original link. Make sure you follow her. She’s a newer blogger like me! This is also my first Itinerant Teacher Post, a topic I have been planning to bring up, and will bring up again.I work in three schools – a Lutheran school, a Catholic school and a Montessori. I teach 3 year olds to 8th grade general music, choir and band. I have several classes with multiple ages in a class, and share all my spaces. In other words, I don’t have an official ‘home’. When I was young, I have a very clear memory of thinking that the word itinerant meant “crabby”, “cranky”, or some variation of the word. When I started teaching on the cart, I all of a sudden understood why I probably thought that from context clues as a kid.However, this year, I am lucky enough to be at one school 3 days a week, so even though I don’t have a ‘home’, I feel a little bit at home with my cabinet!
My top shelf has music books, and multiple half drank bottles of water (I have a problem!). There is also my emergency ‘lunch’ – an oatmeal packet, and some hand lotion.
Most of the work I do for school, I try to keep on my computer since I carry it everywhere. I carry VERY little if I can make it work. I take pics of songs in books that I want to use, write out all my lesson plans digitally, and in general, make as many things as I can ‘carryable’.However, I have an awesome office at home that is my planning space. It’s lovely.
I usually sit on the floor at the coffee table downstairs. Haha!
On my desk, I have a few different piles:
The first pile is music I’ve been using to arrange stuff for my Catholic school’s holiday concert. The top is sheet music I have save since 3rd grade (yeah…really). It is “Sing Hosannas”, a Polish carol my band director, Wally (the guy who signed at the bottom) gave us when we took “flutophone”. Wally is my hero, the reason I am a music teacher, and my inspiration every day. More about him in a minute.
The 2nd pile is music I pulled out for a few students that have had band already. The band program I teach is BRAND new. As in this year. A few students have had band and I’m trying to pull things for them to work on.
The last pile is books I’ve been using in the classroom. 2 of my favs are here: First Steps and the American Methodology.
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This is a picture of my sister Megan sitting at my Aunt’s clavinova. Megan died in 1997. I had to have this pic.
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Other things on my desk, or hanging by it:
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2 pics The smaller picture on the right is me and Marcus Belgrave. He is a Detroit jazz musician who directed the DSO Civic Jazz Orchestra the summer I was in it. Amazing experience. (Did I mention I played saxophone before I became a singer?) The black and white is Wally, my band director. This was took toward the end of his life. He died when he was 82, 3 months after my sister. He had very severe arthritis, and walked with a walker. He played the piano with his knuckles for us. He was nothing short of amazing. I’ll tell you more about him sometime.
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My community choir, the Livingston County Chorale, directed by a crazy amazing choral teacher, is working on this song for our holiday concerts this weekend. I came home from rehearsal last night and pulled this out so I look at it before the weekend.
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I know my desk looks fairly neat for someone who works in three places, but I can’t handle surface area mess. I drives me bonkers. I usually put away EVERYTHING before I go to bed. I may have one small stack that I end up taking off the desk and putting on a piano bench or in one of the drawers to get it off the top. It makes me crazy.
I hope you enjoyed a little glimpse into my life.
What’s on your desk?
Melissa
Wow, I love all the pics! It is so fun to get a little glimpse into the working life of others… I’m itinerant, too, so I feel like my teaching supplies are always spread between my schools. Thanks for linking up!
I love your blog and just nominated you for the Liebster Award! http://www.pitchpublications.com/blog/liebster-award-winner-yeah
Wow, I love all the pics! It is so fun to get a little glimpse into the working life of others… I’m itinerant, too, so I feel like my teaching supplies are always spread between my schools. Thanks for linking up!
I love your blog and just nominated you for the Liebster Award! http://www.pitchpublications.com/blog/liebster-award-winner-yeah
Wow, I love all the pics! It is so fun to get a little glimpse into the working life of others… I’m itinerant, too, so I feel like my teaching supplies are always spread between my schools. Thanks for linking up!
I love your blog and just nominated you for the Liebster Award! http://www.pitchpublications.com/blog/liebster-award-winner-yeah
Wow, I love all the pics! It is so fun to get a little glimpse into the working life of others… I’m itinerant, too, so I feel like my teaching supplies are always spread between my schools. Thanks for linking up!
I love your blog and just nominated you for the Liebster Award! http://www.pitchpublications.com/blog/liebster-award-winner-yeah