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We have had another fantastic week at HOCA, and now we’re heading into our final stretch before spring break! From classrooms buzzing with learning to joyful moments in the hallways and playground, it’s been wonderful to see our OWL’s growing, working hard, and supporting one another.
In music class, third to sixth-grade students recently completed their ukulele assessment. For most students—including myself—playing the ukulele was a brand-new experience. From the very beginning of this practicum, students were excited to explore and learn this new instrument. Since this was the first event in the history of our brand-new school, I had no way of predicting how well they would accomplish their task. My goal for the students was for them to remember what they learned regardless of each student’s musical proficiency.
I am so proud of the students, as over 90% of them scored a perfect 100 on the test although some students were a little behind from the learning process. I was especially surprised that some students who seemed indifferent during the lessons over the past three weeks I also scored a perfect 100 on the test. If there were no learning opportunities in the school system, they would never have had the chance to learn the ukulele as a musical skill. My personal hope from this lesson is that at least one student will be able to play a simple song on the ukulele to share with friends or family.
A common misunderstanding in schools is that education is solely for assessment. However, it is true that without assessment, people may lack the motivation to fully commit to accomplish their given tasks. I assume that most teachers hope all students will set meaningful goals in their lives and put forth their best efforts to achieve them.
Music Specialist
Dr. Jae Park
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