Views on Scholarship in the Classroom

As a scholar, I believe I am looked up to, expected to have multiple resources for finding answers, and am expected to be able to explain concepts with precision and ease.  As a scholar in music education I believe it is important for me to build connections and keep researching my field of study.  I feel that as a scholar we are held to the standard of the book.  If we do not do things exactly by the book we are criticized for any error or misconception.  In music education more than often we have to reach out for different techniques to teach our students.  Not every student will learn an instrument the exact same way.  I hope to become knowledgeable and open to different teaching techniques by the time of my student teaching.  I hope that surrounding teachers see all of the varying techniques and use those tools that are presented.  I also will continue to be an active learner, as it is one thing to think you know something, but it is another for you to continue to learn.  Since attending JMU my views and knowledge as a scholar have been more limited.  I feel as if many of my classes are based by the book and not on the creative process.  I feel that I have learned many different definitions but not any variations.  For example, I might learn that Twitter is a form of Literacy and writing.  In our classes we don't go much further than that.  Why do we not explore why people use twitter instead of facebook, or writing a novel.  Why are they choosing to use that creative process.  Zoning back to music education, I believe that we are way to philosophic with some subjects.  I believe that some things are just what they are.  For example I do not believe that we can make an accurate academic decision on how we would teach an adult music vs, a previous convict music.  I think that everything is very circumstantial and we cant make educated decisions until we encounter them.   By the time I am student teaching I hope to have developed skills to help assess what devices and methods I can use to decide how to teach people and not just categorize them  based off their background.