How are the arts, specifically music viewed, treated, etc. in urban schools?
I have not had any experiences with urban schools. I attended a small suburban school. In my particular school, the music program was something that was held in very high regard. When I imagine myself in a few years as a teacher, I naturally picture teaching in a suburban school where the music program receives decent funding and overall is viewed by the students, faculty, parents, and administrators as being a fairly important program to have.
After some brainstorming here are some questions that I would like to explore.
In urban schools what are the views of:
The students?
The teachers?
The parents?
The administrators?
Out of all of these players how exactly do they view the arts? Is it considered unnecessary compared to the other issues that students in urban centers need to face?
This is something that I would imagine to be the case. The arts are usually brushed aside in many schools. My school experience is most likely not the norm when it comes to the arts.
Can the arts be used as a tool to engage students? I personally think the arts are important for enriching the lives of any student. I would like to see if music can be a used to enrich the lives of students in urban centers.
Some other questions I have are related to being a teacher in general in an urban school.
What does it really take to be an urban educator?
Is this something I want to do?
Do you have to be some kind of super-teacher to do this job? If so am I cut out to do this?
If the system is so flawed do you need to know how to beat it or get around it in order to succeed? If so why is it like this and what can I really accomplish as one teacher against the system?
Hopefully i will be able to answer some of these questions by the end of the class. If I can it will not only help me decide if urban education is something I want to do, but I think it will also help me gain a better understanding of being an educator in general, wherever I end up teaching.
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2 comments about your questions
ReplyDelete1) I agree that the arts are important. Music enriches many lives everyday, and this can create a real emotional outlet.
2) The questions that you ask regarding what it takes to work in an urban community are some of the same ones that I have.