My Core Values

We all have a central set of core values by which we live our lives. Whether or not we can put these values in to a verbal context is another matter entirely. We may wish to write our values down as a source of motivation to keep our families focused on the "big picture" when we might otherwise be "sweating the small stuff". We might also wish to write them down as a testament to our faith or other convictions. As for myself, I believe I may have to give a verbal contextualization to my core values for the purpose of answering the questions of a potential future employer or a parent of a future student, or to keep myself focused on the larger picture of my time teaching when I might otherwise get caught up in the exhaustion and trials of teaching impressionable and opinionated students. Suffice to say, providing myself with a list of my main values of teaching is important to my career and my mental well-being. Given previous discussions on teaching values, I have prioritized those that are at my core as follows:

1) Love children and desire to work with them, for every child can learn and has a right to learn.
2) Music is worthy of curricular study on its own right and exists for its own sake, and should not need justification to be included in the school curriculum.
3) The classroom is a place of safety, freedom or expression, and should be a place where children can discover and learn without fear of ridicule.
4) Have integrity -- Do the right thing, and do your best, whether someone is watching or not.
5) All classrooms, especially music classrooms, should be structured as communities that teach vital life skills: listening, cooperation, understanding, empathy, and self-confidence.
6) Be proud to celebrate your accomplishments, whether they be as a teacher or a student, whether they be small or large, and whether they seem significant or not: they are still important on their own merit.