Student by day, teacher by… also day? The dual role of a student teacher is a fun and educational experience where the student half learns the procedures and norms of a classroom, while the teacher half teaches students and gains experience with them. This role can be a challenge to many, as two things are expected from you at once, however, for the Orchestra’s new student teacher, Faith Stevens, the challenge is worth the full-time experience as an educator.
Stevens, or more commonly known to her students as Miss Stevens, is a 21-year-old student currently enrolled at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, majoring in Music Education. Her applied instrument is violin (she’s more than able to teach other instruments though), and she teaches 9-12 orchestras, as well as 4-5 beginner strings, alongside Dr. Brittany Rom. She’s currently student teaching for the last semester of her degree program, and this semester is the first she has taught in a high school setting.
Stevens describes the difference in students at the high school level versus the elementary level.
“At the elementary level, the students are all so lively,” she says. “With that age group, you have to harness their energy and get them rolling in the right direction. With the class sizes (around 8-12 kids per session), sometimes it can be difficult to get all of their attention, but overall the elementary school students are respectful and work hard in orchestra class. As for high school, again, it has been an adjustment for me. I just graduated from high school in 2021, but the current students I am teaching at Millard South High have all been respectful and kind towards me. It is really important to keep the teacher’s boundary due to my age, and it is something that I have to be aware of. However, the high school students have given me such grace since I am still learning how to be a teacher.”
Later, she adds on the difficulties she has faced with the different grade levels, saying, “The biggest challenge I have faced is adjusting my teaching style to a high school setting. Teaching 4th and 5th graders is a lot different than 9-12, so I had to rethink how I give instructions to high school students that is effective.”
Her ways of teaching have been effective! said senior Mya Jo Hawkins. “I love her!” she added. “I think she really cares about her students, as well as her own personal education. I like the way she teaches. She’s very enthusiastic and thorough, and I know she’ll make a great teacher one day.”
So far, Stevens said she has learned a lot about educating in the short amount of time she has been teaching.
“I have learned a lot so far how to effectively teach students at the secondary level. So far, my experience has only been with beginning string players and elementary general music settings. I have learned a lot so far about how to run an effective rehearsal and what strategies Dr. Rom uses to successfully teach and assess students at the secondary level. I have also learned some of the strategies Dr. Rom uses to help build positive and constructive relationships with students,” Stevens said.
With all that she has learned, she only yearns for more knowledge to come, saying that she hopes to gain more experience with teaching in different grade settings, along with gaining new strategies on how to effectively teach different pedagogical aspects of playing strings.
