J Edmund Hughes

Saturday March 12th - 1:30pm

When we graduate, we are so thrilled to begin our careers on our own, but often find that after all of our years of education, it is more about questions than answers. One of the main differences between school and real life is that in school we are given a lesson and then we have a test. In the “real world” we are tested and then we learn our lesson. We often ask ourselves after one of those “dramatic moments” in our careers...”Why didn’t they teach us this in Choral Methods?” The answer is, “Some things we have to learn on our own”…and some of the things we encounter in the classroom…no one can even predict or imagine. I would like to share are things that I have learned from formal training and/or the more informal training I have experienced through teaching since 1971 through the U of HK – University of Hard Knocks. Through this presentation, I hope to give the participants 1) some strategies and concepts to create and maintain an open, vulnerable and affirming environment in the classroom 2) ideas to keep them healthy and positive, whereby creating more effective educators, 3) suggestions for longevity in our profession, and 4) guidance in helping them avoid some of the same mistakes made.