It's all your business towards a higher definition of professionalism.

It's all your business towards a higher definition of professionalism. We owe a great deal to Beth Klingenstein for the many businesscolumns she has written for the AMT See vPro. . Her knowledge, research, andinsights have contributed greatly to our profession. Thanks, Beth! Inher last column (April/May 2007), Beth provided a list of essentialelements of a professional studio. If you haven't read it, I urgeyou to do so. It is an excellent summary of professional tasks that weshould embrace, and then revise and enhance as we start a new year ofteaching. All are equally important; this column will explore only thefirst one, "Professional Attitude." "Excellence is not an act, but a habit." This quote is posted on a studio door down the hallway from myoffice. When thinking about our profession and our studios, I find ituseful to substitute the word professionalism for excellence.Professionalism is something we need to practice every day. It issomething we should live and breathe, and it is as vital to our businessas our studio policies and documents, credentials CREDENTIALS, international law. The instruments which authorize and establish a public minister in his character with the state or prince to whom they are addressed. If the state or prince receive the minister, he can be received only in the quality attributed to him in his credentials. and teachingmaterials. A high degree of professionalism requires careful thought,self-assessment and awareness and disciplined practice. Professionalism is a topic that young teachers find hard to define;experienced teachers may take it for granted. Parents can't alwaysdefine it either, but they know when something bothers them. Within thepast three years, I have had parents of transfer students cite reasonsfor leaving the previous teacher that reflected solely on theprofessionalism of the teacher rather than the teacher'scredentials or quality of teaching. Reasons included: interrupting thelesson to check on dinner cooking in the next room (yes, really, thisstill happens?), changing the scheduled lesson time too frequently,always running late and chatting too much during the lesson aboutnonmusical topics. The Simple Things At the beginning of each school year I hold an orientation/trainingsession for the 50-plus teaching fellows that I supervise. These arecollege students who are teaching in the Butler Community Arts School;they have education (pedagogy classes), knowledge (of their instrument),and some teaching experience. What they often lack is an understandingof what it means to be a professional teacher. Many things thatcontribute to a professional attitude are not complex, time consuming orexpensive, so the substance of my orientation focuses on "thesimple things." Here are some examples: * Start and end the lesson on time. Parents of over-scheduledchildren, which are many of the parents we now deal with, expect andneed us to stay on schedule. * Stay organized. Don't use lesson time to hunt for documentsor music. Deal with business issues between lessons or call the parentlater. Have lesson materials nearby and ready to go. * Maintain a consistent teaching schedule. Be very choosy choos��yalso choos��ey ?adj. choos��i��er, choos��i��estVery careful in choosing; highly selective.choosi��ness n. aboutwhen and why you ask a parent to reschedule re��sched��ule?tr.v. re��sched��uled, re��sched��ul��ing, re��sched��ulesTo schedule again or anew: rescheduled the meeting for the following week; rescheduled the debts of many developing nations. a lesson. * Stay focused on the student. Don't let yourself interrupt A signal that gets the attention of the CPU and is usually generated when I/O is required. For example, hardware interrupts are generated when a key is pressed or when the mouse is moved. Software interrupts are generated by a program requiring disk input or output. the lesson to answer the phone (except for emergencies) or talk to theparent for an extended period of time. I often have to smile ruefully rue��ful?adj.1. Inspiring pity or compassion.2. Causing, feeling, or expressing sorrow or regret.rue toa parent and say, "I can't answer your question now; it'sJohnny's lesson time. May I call you tomorrow morning?" * Speak in a professional manner at all times (in the studio, onthe phone, in the community). Choose your words deliberately."Tuition" conveys a different commitment than "monthlylesson fee." When answering questions about your studio policy orbusiness, clarify; there is no reason to apologize a��pol��o��gize?intr.v. a��pol��o��gized, a��pol��o��giz��ing, a��pol��o��giz��es1. To make excuse for or regretful acknowledgment of a fault or offense.2. To make a formal defense or justification in speech or writing. or justify. * Consider how your answering machine message sounds to potentialstudents and parents. Be sure it identifies you as a business,especially if you are teaching in a home studio. I like the message of alocal teacher in my area; it starts out with "Hello. You'vereached the music studio of Sally Smith, and the home of Sally and JohnSmith...." The studio answering machine message is not the place tospotlight cute cute?adj. cut��er, cut��est1. Delightfully pretty or dainty.2. Obviously contrived to charm; precious: "[He] children's voices or songs. * Maintain a professional dress code. You don't need to investa lot of money; but please avoid jeans and sweatpants. In my homestudio, I always try to dress exactly as I would for my position at theuniversity. * Maintain a professional studio environment that has clearboundaries from the rest of your home. Treat it like a businessoffice--display your credentials; keep materials organized and ready touse. Be clear about expectations regarding parking, waiting area and theuse of other areas in the home. * Maintain a welcoming, open environment by inviting parents toobserve or be a part of the lesson and by keeping windows/doorsuncovered whenever possible. * Stay true to yourself. Know what you are capable of teaching;refer students to other teachers when you reach your limit. We may take some of these items for granted, but parents do not.They expect our highest attention to these details. And by making thesea part of our daily work habit, we create a higher professional imagefor ourselves and for the profession as a whole. Beyond Personal Integrity I also talk a lot about integrity with young teachers, referring inthis context to more than personal integrity. Veteran teachers, as wellas rookies, are encouraged to review their studio operation periodicallyand assess if professional integrity standards are being maintained.Here are some examples: Integrity of the lesson: Does your 8:00 P.M. student receive thesame enthusiasm as your 3:00 P.M. student? Does the lesson time belongto the student? Integrity of the studio policy: Do you enforce it consistently andfairly? Does it accurately reflect your teaching philosophy andcurriculum? Integrity of the curriculum: Does it still meet studentexpectations and goals? Is it adaptable a��dapt��a��ble?adj.Capable of adapting or of being adapted.a��dapta��bil and flexible? Integrity of your qualifications: (education, professionalcredentials, memberships): Do you seek improvements? Do parents knowyour qualifications? What assessment tools do you have in place for yourstudents and for yourself? Beyond the Studio Walls In the business school I attended, we were often asked by theprofessors, "Do you believe that if you are the smartest or workthe hardest, that you will--?" Depending on the class, the end ofthe question would be something like "get the job you want" or"get the clients you want." By the way the question was asked,we knew the "correct" answer was no. Over the course of atwo-year curriculum, a business model emerged that suggested that themost successful professionals, in any field, are capable of lookingoutside of themselves and their particular job. They cultivate cul��ti��vate?tr.v. cul��ti��vat��ed, cul��ti��vat��ing, cul��ti��vates1. a. To improve and prepare (land), as by plowing or fertilizing, for raising crops; till.b. andnurture NURTURE. The act of taking care of children and educating them: the right to the nurture of children generally belongs to the father till the child shall arrive at the age of fourteen years, and not longer. Till then, he is guardian by nurture. Co. Litt. 38 b. relationships with other professionals, community organizations,clients, suppliers and the general public. Despite the few bad apples that make the headlines, most CEOs arepositive role models, actively participating in the community where theydo business. Every teacher with a home studio is a CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. and can representour profession in the community. Does the local school music teacherknow who you are? Does the owner of the local music store know who youare? How about the local arts council An arts council is a government or private, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the arts mainly by funding local artists, awarding prizes, and organizing events at home and abroad. , music festivals and other serviceor civic organizations? Do you know your city council representative? One local teacher in my area is a small business member of theChamber of Commerce. She is active in the Kiwanis Club. She regularlysends press releases to the local newspaper about her students'recitals and workshops she attends. Granted, with a small town newspaperher press releases get picked up more often than in a large city, butthe same approach could be used with neighborhood association A neighborhood association is a group of residents, sometimes organized as 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, who take on problems or organize activities within a neighborhood. An association may have elected leaders and voluntary or mandatory dues. newsletters or township township:see town. newspapers. Daily Devotion Devotion may refer to: Edward Devotion School, a public school in Brookline, Massachusetts. Bible study (Christian), devotion within Christianity Catholic devotions, devotion within Catholicism Bhakti, devotion within Hinduism and Practice To reach a higher level of artistry art��ist��ry?n.1. Artistic ability: a sculptor of great artistry.2. Artistic quality or craft: the artistry of a poem. , we expect our students topractice daily with consistency, dedication, attention to detail,self-assessment and awareness. We must demand these same characteristicsof ourselves as we go about our daily business if we are to achieve ahigher level of professionalism. "Excellence is not an act, but a habit. The things that you domost are the things you will do the best."--Marva Collins Karen Thickstun is adjunct adjunct (aj´ungkt),n a drug or other substance that serves a supplemental purpose in therapy.adjunctfaculty at Butler University North Western Christian University was the name when the school opened on November 1, 1855, at what is now 13th and College, with no president, 2 professors, and 20 students. In 1875, the university moved to a 25-acre campus in Irvington. anddirector of the Butler Community Arts School and maintains anindependent studio in Nashville, Indiana Nashville is a town in Brown County, Indiana, United States. The population was 826 at the 2000 census. The town is the county seat of Brown CountyGR6. The town is best known as the center of the Brown County Art Colony with a variety of specialty shops. . In addition to music degrees,she has degrees in economics and business.