Teaching in Diverse Contexts: They're All Children, but They're Not the Same!

We live in a time of standardization. State and federal officials say that all students must be "college and career ready" and must meet a specific set of standards. Many of these same people think that, since the expectations are the same, the way we teach must be the same. Any teacher who has taught in more than one place knows that this is not the case! Kansas has schools in rural settings as well as urban areas; schools with children from predominantly wealthy families as well as Title I schools; schools with large and small populations; and schools that are highly diverse ethnically and ethnically homogenous. Such diversity of children requires teachers to tailor their approaches to fit the background and values of the people found in their unique teaching contexts.

The simple truth is that each school in Kansas is unique in its cultural makeup, the needs of its children, and the unstated social mores that govern its behavioral expectations. These differences affect the number and types of activities students engage in, the way in which they converse with adults, the value they have for learning and success, and the degree to which their primary needs of food, shelter, healthcare, and love have been met. The point is that different children require different teaching approaches, and these approaches may be foreign to the teacher who is teaching in a context that is different from the one in which he or she was raised. What is good teaching in one situation may not be in another, and the teacher who is successful in one school may not be successful in another.

This issue of the Kansas Music Review focuses on these contextual differences in teaching. Past KMEA president Mike Quilling has spent his career creating great music in small schools and his article shares his views about the benefits of teaching in the small rural districts that blanket Kansas. KMEA 2014-15 Teacher of the Year, Jane Vanderhoff provides advice to our readers about working with students who speak English as a second language. A third article written by Ryan Scherber, a professor of music at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, discusses the strategies that were helpful for him as a music teacher within a rural population. Finally, national board certified teacher and author Kevin Mixon describes his experience teaching in urban settings and the two principles of teaching most important to him.

While teaching contexts and teaching approaches may differ, there are still some things about teaching that remain the same. For example, it may be unwise to expect all students to experience the same academic success, but with good teaching, all students can be expected to show academic and personal growth. It may be unwise to expect small ensembles from towns void of private teachers and other musical opportunities to play music at the same level as ensembles with these opportunities, but with good teaching, all students can learn how to intelligently perform and express music with understanding. With good teaching, we can all teach students to value music and to understand it through the development of musical understanding.

Most importantly, we must remember that no matter where we teach, education doesn't happen void of strong relationships between teacher and student. No matter the context, students will come to class ready to learn when they know that their teacher cares about them. Whether you now find yourself in your dream job or in a situation you never expected, I hope you find joy in your work with your students as you play your part in developing our next generation of intelligent, musical, and caring citizens. Welcome to the new school year—make it a great one!