Reply To: Preparing yourself to manage a music program.

[nafmeadmin]

I like the idea of having a five year plan. As a junior education major, I am in the middle of my methods courses and observation hours, and I have been able to observe some really amazing music educators. One thing every teacher has in common is that they all have a plan. However, all of these teachers have been teaching for several years in the same building/district, and they all come from wealthy school districts. I am curious as to what you suggest for new teachers in districts that have little-to-no-money. Maybe I’m too blindsided by the fact that everything (or almost everything) costs money, but I am having difficulty seeing how one can build a program without a budget, or a very small one for that matter. Do you have any suggestions for how one can get around difficult financial tasks they may be faced with during their first year, or first five years of teaching?