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Subject: Re: [MK8] 10 Year Slump

From: Kristin Lukow

Date: Thu, 16 Jan 2020 08:05:40 -0600

Once again, you have brought a beautiful idea to the discussion Kathleen and Iâ€™m committed to doing this more. Thank you for your wisdom. I have had difficult years and challenging situations but have never truly had a slump either. For me, the creativity is what fulfills me. I donâ€™t follow someone elseâ€™s curriculum wholeheartedly. Iâ€™m always sampling and experimenting and creating. I want my students to do the same. That keeps things fresh for me.
Kristin Lukow
Elementary Music Teacher â™«
http://www.facebook.com/lukowmusic
https://www.youtube.com/user/kristinlukow
Adams Central Elementary School - Hastings, Nebraska

> On Jan 16, 2020, at 7:35 AM, Kathleen Bragle wrote:
>
> Brian - this has been a fascinating thread to say the least and I have done
> some thinking on my own. I retired 8 years ago this June and looking back
> I am just wondering if there was something I did that helped me avoid this
> "slump". Please don't misunderstand me ~ there were some difficult times ~
> but overall, my teaching journey was a fulfilling, happy one. Why is
> that? Here is my thought~
>
> Every class, no matter what the age, had some time to stretch out, relax
> and listen to music. The time for this ~ usually no more than 5 to 10
> minutes of a 30 minute class ~ was absolutely essential and the longer I
> taught, the more I firmly believed that this was critical. You could SEE
> the tension disappear. You could SEE the energy, the smiles and joy come
> forward and take over. Now I am wondering if this "time" in each class may
> have also benefited me. You see, although I wouldn't stretch out on the
> floor :) I would shut down so to speak, breathe deeply along with the
> kids and relax, The focus was on relax and rejuvenate. Could this have
> helped in the bigger picture? Could this be part of the reason I never
> felt this "slump"? Perhaps ~ and I mention this just as a possibility.
> Take some time WITH the kids to relax with some beautiful music.
>
> I ran into a former student recently and she mentioned how she STILL finds
> time every day to "chill out" (her term) and listen to music. Wow.......
>
> Just a thought....
> Kathleen Bragle, NBCT
> kbragle@gmail.com
>
> On Wed, Jan 15, 2020 at 6:11 PM Brian Weese wrote:
>
>> Thanks for all the advice and â€œcommiseratingâ€. Glad to know that it is
>> not just me.
>>
>> Like many of you have said, I love my kids, school and admin, but I am
>> totally unmotivated. Iâ€™m just not excited about being at school.
>>
>> I was playing my trombone in a community band for the past 2 years,
>> because I wanted to play with other adults, but I havenâ€™t been able to find
>> the time since this school year started.
>>
>> I do have a second job I do on Saturday (servive grandfather clocks) and
>> we go to church on Sundays, so I have something scheduled everyday of the
>> week. I try to schedule a Saturday off at least every other month.
>>
>> And I do attend the Atlanta Orff chapter workshops faithfully. I love
>> them! Always get something I can do with my kids the next week if I wanted.
>>
>> For further education I completed Orff levels 1 and 2. Iâ€™d really like to
>> take level 3 (and level 2 again), but $700 is really a lot of money...
>>
>> Again, thanks for all the replies. It helps. Iâ€™m not sure how long I
>> wouldâ€™ve lasted without yâ€™all and this list!
>>
>> D. Brian Weese
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