Knowing the story

This past Saturday my wife and I went to hear the Flint Symphony Orchestra (FSO) at the Whiting in Flint, MI.  I love live music of just about any genre, but I particularly enjoy going to FSO concerts as I find their conductor, Enrique Diemecke to be particularly entertaining.  Maestro Diemecke is incredibly passionate about music and this passion permeates his movements and his discussion of the pieces the FSO will play on any particular evening.

Maestro Enrique Diemecke

Prior to each concert Maestro Diemecke provides the audience with the background and context of the music for that particular evening, and I find this serves to allow the audience to better connect with the music.  On Saturday Maestro Diemecke was particularly descriptive when discussing Michael Daugherty’s Fire and Blood for Solo Violin and Orchestra.  This piece was inspired by Diego Rivera’s mural at the Detroit Institute of Art and you can click here for information on this work of art.  Maestro Diemecke went on to brilliantly contextualize Rivera's life and spoke passionately about his wife, Frida Kahlo, and her influence upon his work.  Needless to say, this introduction and explanation greatly enhanced my appreciation of this particular piece of music.

On the way home that evening my wife commented on the concert and she mentioned how much she appreciated Maestro Diemecke’s brief discussion prior to each concert.  As we are both educators, and as I cannot seem to stop thinking about work, we quickly began drawing parallels between that evening’s concert and the field of education.  Yes, in case you are wondering, I can always bring it back to the field of education!

Both my wife and I had a greater appreciation for the music we heard last Saturday because the music was placed in context for us; we understood the influences behind all the pieces played that evening thanks to Maestro Diemecke who chose to tell the audience the stories behind the music.  I think it stands to reason that educators would also have greater appreciation for the students and the families they serve were they aware of the various and diverse contexts that produce their students.  Academic achievements may carry more weight were we to know the various challenges facing our students.  Conversely, academic failures, or shortcomings, may not be viewed quite so harshly were we able to place them in their proper context. 

Many of us serve children who face challenges most of us cannot even begin to fathom.  What if we knew the stories behind our students?  What if we knew the struggles they faced just to get to school?  Would the way we view them change if we had a better understanding of the world they returned to each weekday afternoon?  I believe we would quickly gain a greater appreciation for our students and we would rapidly develop a reluctance to judge them for what they do and for what they leave undone.  This increased awareness would no doubt, in my humble opinion, lead to an increased appreciation of the children under our care.  Strengthening the bonds between those who teach and those who are being taught is instrumental in righting what is wrong in our field.  Knowing the stories behind the children we are fortunate to teach in an important step in this process.