Why Do We Do What We Do?

Why do we do what we do? As an educator, it would seem that this question has a simple answer. We teach children so that children can have the best education possible and they can learn to enjoy learning. So that begs the question, if we do not see results in our teaching, are we providing a disservice rather than a service to the kids? Or is it simply that the results will not always happen overnight? Good questions to consider.

Why do I teach? Is it for me, or is it for the students. Without question, my teaching is for the students! So why do I feel bad when the band is unsuccessful? Actually, there are a handful of reasons.

1. I feel bad because I thought that they did better than the judges thought that they did. That scares me because it tells me that maybe I don’t understand what kinds of things need to be fixed for a marching band to work. Or, worse yet, maybe I don’t know what to fix to help these kids be successful in any musical endeavor.
2. I feel bad because they worked so hard and made wonderful strides this past week. For those efforts, we actually got lower ratings than we did last year at marching contest. But the band sounds better. So it goes back to the above concerns.
3. I feel bad because the kids feel bad. They obviously didn’t see it from up top, but they felt good about it. When we get bad ratings, the kids feel bad and that makes me sad.

   On the other hand, we will probably have less rehearsals now, and so I can look forward to getting things more focused in my personal life and spending more time with God and being less distracted. So I suppose that means that there is a good side to this all. But I still feel sad. Oh well, the Bible says that joy comes in the morning, so I hope to sleep well and be in a better mood in the morning!

4. I feel bad because I feel like I have let them down. I have been involved with very successful groups before and yet I can’t seem to help these kids taste that same success. I know that being a teacher is a lifelong learning process, but I wanted so badly for them to be successful today.

I’m a generally competitive person and I figure that if I’m going to be teaching them, I might as well do the best that I can so that they can achieve the best that they can.

On the other hand, we will have less rehearsal time, and so I can spend more time getting things taken care of for the 6th through 8th graders. I can also spend more time getting things straightened out in my life and focusing more on God. Always a positive side, I suppose!