Interview with Tanya Chanphanitpornkit, October 30, 2019

Partial Transcript: The way that our demographics work is that its actually the percentage of black students, hispanic students, white students, asian students, etc, and minorities it's actually the same percent as all of New York.

Segment Synopsis: Chanphanitpornkit gives a short history that explains the present day demographic of the area in which she teaches.

Keywords: Hatian refuge camp; Niagara, New York; orchestra

Partial Transcript: I think the moment that it happened for me was when I went to an All State group and I just fell in love with music.

Segment Synopsis: Chanphanitpornkit shares how she always knew she wanted to be a teacher since lining up her stuffed animals and treating them as students. She also describes how nervous she was on the first day of school because whe was afraid she was not going to live up to her expectations and how different teaching was in comparison to her expectations.

Keywords: first day; peer support

Partial Transcript: After the first year, I felt extremely burnt out.

Segment Synopsis: Chanphanitpornkit share the classroom issues that kept her up at night but as time passed she realized that her self health needed her attention if she was going to continue to succed in teaching.

Keywords: overwhelmed; sleep

Partial Transcript: That there can always be more, right? I think that's the thing that everybody says about teacher training that, wow, I feel so unprepared for all of this. And I feel that's a little unfair.

Segment Synopsis: Chanphanitpornkit shares the way her education prepares her for the classroom but she also shares areas that her education is lacking when it comes to being prepared for managing her classroom.

Keywords: class management

Partial Transcript: Is it the first and the fifth year that really hard because I'm feeling the fifth year burn right now.

Segment Synopsis: Chanphanitpornkit shares how she is asking herself after five years of teaching what type of meaningful impact she is having on her students. She also discusses the impact that moving away from the familiar area in which she grew up to become a teacher in an area where she is unknown. She also gives examples of the immense pressure that teachers have to work under.

Keywords: 5 year

Partial Transcript: It was day two of teaching. So first day, i had site with them Star Wars and it went horrendously.

Segment Synopsis: Chanphanitpornkit describes the frustration and embarrassment she felt when she initially could not figure out how to teach her class but she eventuatlly taught them bit by bit with much success.She also describes the pride she feels with the smallest accomplishments of her students.

Partial Transcript: Is when I feel like I can't do this anymore. It has happened.

Segment Synopsis: Chanphanitpornkit discusses how difficult it is to serve classrooms where students have so many different personal challenges and yet she still feels hopeful for the music program because so many people continue to advocate music and art.

Keywords: Texas; diverse issues; hopeful

Partial Transcript: This is my second year teaching. We used to have-- It was a question a day. It was so simple and each student would just ask me a question about myself a day. It was so bizarre.

Segment Synopsis: Chanphanitpornkit describes how amusing to watch the reaction of her students as she answered simple questions about herself.

Partial Transcript: The glaring question is how am I going to do this for 40 years?

Segment Synopsis: Chanphanitpornkit discusses her concerns of being able to keep up with the constantly changing students each year yet she is optimistic.

Partial Transcript: Hopefully fun. No they actually have said that to me.

Segment Synopsis: Chanphanitpornkit describes how she bases how much she pushes her students on the abilities of her students.

Partial Transcript: One teacher that really inspired me is my high school teacher, music teacher. She had always believed in me.

Segment Synopsis: Chanphanitpornkit describes how one particular teacher influenced her by doing what she felt was right for herself instead of allowing the popular choices influence her.

Keywords: middle school

Partial Transcript: I always give the first week if not the first day of school. I explain to them the milk story.

Segment Synopsis: Chanphanitpornkit uses a practical story to help explain what she expects from her students.

Partial Transcript: But there is nothing like watching a master teacher doing their thing and being like why did I not think of that.

Segment Synopsis: Chanphanitpornkit discusses how exposure to experienced teachers helps to improve her own teaching schools.

Partial Transcript: As a basis i've always felt reallywe were lost in the pile. Teachers don't really know what to do with us.

Segment Synopsis: Chanphanitpornkit shares how she created an environment outside of the classroom that presented the opportunity to mentor to students.

Keywords: base shenanigan group

Partial Transcript: They (students) will always tell you very straightfowardly what is working and what is not.

Segment Synopsis: Chanphanitpornkit gives examples of how students survives difficult situations that many times makes their lives better which reminds her that she will survive her own life challenges.