During my year on the high school newspaper staff, each student was required to interview four beats, i.e. teachers and/or administrators, each week or every other week, depending on each beat's preference. Students asked what their beats liked and disliked about the most recent issue and if they had any story ideas. All four of my beats were music teachers; I interviewed the two band directors, the orchestra director, and one of the chorus instructors regularly.
The chorus teacher gave me some unexpected feedback on an article. The reporter interviewed the five teachers whom students considered the school's best.
"Not to take anything away from those teachers," she said, "but, more often than not, these types of accolades go to instructors of honors and advanced placement classes. Their students are already motivated to learn. I would contend that it's as much or more of an accomplishment for a teacher to reach students who don't necessarily want to be there."
She hadn't mentioned her classes specifically, but I understood what she meant. Her chorus students generally didn't sing in any of the school's advanced choirs or pursue any form of music as an occupation; most of her students took her classes to fulfill the school's required arts credit.
I think her perspective was well-reasoned. When students are routinely interested and prepared for class, the battle between a teacher and the students is already half-won. However, when a teacher can spark the interest of students who only signed up for the class to fulfill a requirement, it's an arguably greater achievement.
