View blog authority

First and foremost, this blog is about:

Classroom management
Personal development
The life of a band director
Inspiring educators to continue teaching and begin blogging

You will find that I have become very passionate about:

Teaching children
Teaching other teachers
Teaching music
Pursuing excellence in everything that I do

I find that many educational blogs fall into one of two categories. They are either academic blogs full of banal research findings or are written in teacherese, or else they are cathartic blogs full of rants and complaints.

This blog is different. I strive to keep a personal atmosphere and writing style, while still transferring information in meaningful and positive ways.

If this is your first time to the site, welcome. I suggest you start here. Then you can go here.

A brief bio
Joel is a band director in Texas. He began teaching in the 2002-2003 school year. His first two years were a self-described horrible failure. Though he knew lots of information, he did not have what it took to push him beyond that. He felt like an untapped reservoir of knowledge, with a bunch of students who didn’t like him, didn’t care what he knew, and usually liked to argue with him until they get their way.

That’s when everything changed. He resigned from that school district right before spring break and made it a personal mission to figure out how to be a great teacher.

This blog is an attempt to pass along my learnings to other teachers and future teachers as well as learn from you.

So you have all the answers?
Absolutely not! I have a few solutions. Much like MacGyver, I have literally pieced bits of information together and have come up with some solutions that work in the real world. I am always learning and always open to new ideas.

How can we contact you?
Lots of ways. Check out the contact page.