This has certainly been an interesting two weeks in the world of education; the “job-saving” Wisconsin budget bill, aimed at cutting the state’s 3.6 billion dollar deficit passed the Wisconsin House last night, in response to this, the New Richmond, WI school district handed out pink slips to all of their 207 employees this morning claiming uncertainty over who would and would not be rehired for the 2011-2012 school year. Meanwhile, amongst the downtrodden news of my home state, I have found myself in the grasp of Mid-Winter inspiration for the 3rd year in a row.
The MMEA (Minnesota Music Educators Association) Mid-Winter Conference was held last week at the Minneapolis Convention Center; through lectures, performances, and networking with the best and brightest in my field, I have been refreshed and re-inspired in my classroom. Upon my return to the rehearsal room this week, I witnessed a fantastic school assembly in regards to internet safety. This is an extremely valuable lesson for our students and I was very pleased with the presenter. In the era of Facebook and smartphones, our students are treading dangerous waters; however, it wasn’t the threat of employers discovering pictures of my hidden karaoke talent that got me thinking about today’s blog, it was this.
