Accomplishments As A Teacher

Submitted by Andrea Cope, Texas

Idea posted September 10, 2002

Question: What do you consider to be your greatest contributions and accomplishments in education?

Answer: I truly believe my greatest accomplishments as a teacher are the tiny ones: The one child who lost her shame of being from Afghanistan when I invited her to share her music from home with us. The one child who discovered that he didn't stutter when he sang. The one child who learned the hard way that there's more to success than talent. The one child who connected with a faraway grandparent to complete an oral history for my class. I've probably taught a thousand children already in my relatively short career. Each of them was one child.

As music teachers, we aren't improving the quality of Broadway shows, or creating future concertmasters. We'll never change the world. But we're making a difference for one child, and that's enough for me.