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Janine's Music Room

Janine's Music Room

Thoughts from a PYP music teacher

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Teacher Tips

How NOT to apply for a job

It’s hiring season in the international school world, and going through the hiring process in 2024 has been eye-opening for me. This is the first time I’ve looked through applications since ChatGPT (and other AI text generators) changed the way

Janine 19. October 202419. October 2024 Teacher Tips No Comments Read more

16 Things I Wish I’d Known as a First-Year Teacher

It’s no secret that there’s a lot you don’t learn in your methods classes. Even student teaching doesn’t quite prepare you. Lucky for you, you’re reading this! In addition to the subject knowledge you have, and the pedagogical theory you’ve

Janine 2. July 202329. June 2023 Teacher Tips, Thoughts No Comments Read more

5 Things to Do When Your Class Has Lost It

I once interviewed a teaching candidate after she did a lesson that was…difficult to watch. The children weren’t following her line of questions and were losing interest in what could have been an exciting activity. “Did you stray from your

Janine 28. June 202328. June 2023 Teacher Tips, Whole class activity 2 Comments Read more

The danger with TeachersPayTeachers 

Teachers are often told the value of borrowing (or “stealing”) lessons and ideas from other teachers. With the growing popularity of Pinterest, Teachers Pay Teachers, and teacher affinity groups on Facebook, it is easier than ever to share and find

Janine 24. April 202329. June 2023 Teacher Tips, Thoughts No Comments Read more

13 Tips for Giving Better Directions

Approaching my 20th year of teaching, I am thinking about how different my practice is now, compared to my first years. There’s so much that methods classes just don’t teach you! Some aspects of teaching can only be learned through

Janine 11. April 202311. April 2023 Teacher Tips, Uncategorized No Comments Read more

Ten Things You Need in Your Desk Drawer

Your classroom is like a second home. You spend a lot of time there, and the reality of teaching is that you can’t always step out when you need something. So as the scouts say, be prepared, and keep these

Janine 14. July 202214. July 2022 Teacher Tips No Comments Read more

Top Tips for Teaching Rounds

I think it’s fair to say that teaching kids to sing a round is pretty standard fare in elementary school music. Rounds are a fantastic way for students to develop musical independence, to perform and listen at the same time.

Janine 10. July 202214. July 2022 Performance, Teacher Tips, Whole class activity No Comments Read more

Back to remote learning?

Happy new year! I’m enjoying the last few days of my Christmas break, but also starting to put some details into my plans for the upcoming term. We’re having one week of online learning at my school, to give people

Janine 5. January 20229. January 2022 Teacher Tips 4 Comments Read more

Are choice boards really that great? (Yes!)

Choice boards have exploded in popularity, especially with the expansion of online learning. They allow for differentiation, creativity, and student agency. You can use them to practice skills and concepts, build inquiry projects from them, or just use them for

Janine 9. August 20203. September 2020 Teacher Tips 2 Comments Read more

Focus on the positive: 18 great things about online learning

I miss my students. I also have concerns about being back at school with hundreds of students in a pandemic. It’s easy to get pulled down right now, so today I am focusing on the positive. If you are disappointed

Janine 25. July 20203. September 2020 Teacher Tips, Thoughts No Comments Read more
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