Today was a day of full of new opportunities for the members to test the boundaries. It was a day of growing pains. If you are a teacher that has been around the block, you know this day is coming. The honeymoon is over. This is when you really shine as a teacher or start to second guess if you are in the correct profession.

Two years ago I had the joy of seeing the nice music folder holder delivered. It’s pictured above. The wooden shelf next to it (which I believe is typically used to display magazines in a library) was what we used for years to hold our folders because we didn’t have the numbers to necessitate a larger nice music folder cabinet. Without GGC, I have 112 choir students. There are literally that many slots in the nice new cabinet where students have their nice folders with the name James Lawson Choir and their folder number embossed. How perfect.

I purposefully put GGC in regular folders and put them next to the nice cabinet in the wooden shelf. I told them when they are ready to have the nice things, then we will have them. I guess it’s sort of a rite of passage for them to be initiated into the choir family. I love little things like that.

They don’t know how to stop making sound. They have such raw reactions to what is happening. They couldn’t wait to try to tune a chord today. However, very rarely did I have a chance to not be interrupted even with a guest in the room. I remained patient. I believe if I were a teacher in my first three years in the field, I would have yelled at them and I do not feel that would have helped and maybe would have done more damage than anything.

I simply couldn’t get control. Without batting an eye, I calmly and indifferently pulled up my Outlook email which was being projected on the screen. I then casually typed the coach’s name in the email address and proceeded to take ten arduous minutes to write an email in front of them informing their coach of their current poor behavior. With each sentence I wrote, the constant cacophony dissipated into a cold quiet . With them silent, I then took a moment to write in the email about how much potential they have and how they don’t know what they don’t know. I then addressed the fact that they still don’t trust me and are insecure in their reactions. I let them read the email over and over as I slowly proofread. I kept the tone firm but positive. I didn’t name individuals but asked the coach if he wishes to discuss names, I would. I hovered my cursor over the send button and clicked. Three minutes later, coach appeared and took a student out of my class without me even asking and then followed up with a plan for Friday. He’s awesome.

As class was wrapping up, I called one of the boys that was testing the boundaries the most over to me. He flat out admitted that it was all on him and he just needs to “shut up”. His words, not mine. We had reconciliation. He would have never done this in front of the group. A breakthrough in today’s battlefield.

By the end of the year, I feel they will be ready for “nice things”. I told them today that the May version of themselves is going to be so much better than the August version week 3 version. This is why I teach because I get to see four different versions in August with each year I teach them.

Anyone want to buy us a music folder cabinet? I have a feeling that with the way my numbers are going over the past four years ( 57, 58, 97, and now 142!!!!) we are going to need it. I may also need another choir director because we will need an all treble choir!!!!