This is only my 5th week as a long-term music substitute teacher. Today one of the teachers arrived early to pick up her class and caught the tail-end of my lesson. As I was lining up her class she simply said "Thank you." I looked puzzled, so she continued: "Thank you for actually teaching these kids music." I told her I was just doing my job. She let me know she has been teaching at this school for over 20 years and this is the first time she has seen a music teacher teach music. What in the world did the previous teacher do? Perhaps when she was young she taught in the same manner as myself, but as years have passed she might have become "lazy" and less enthusiastic? I don't know, but it surely made my day.
If I decide to apply for teaching jobs once again this year, it will be my 4th year attempting to find work in the area. I interview well and I have glowing references, but for some reason I cannot find a full-time teaching job. Since my current position will last through the end of the year, it is giving me time to determine whether or not this is something I want to go ahead an pursue another year. Honestly, I am really not sure. Ideally, I would prefer to take on enough private voice students and maybe teach some group lessons out of my home then go back into a public school. The politics is what turns me off. Teachers no longer teach for enjoyment, they teach to the standards, which might be why I am the first music teacher to actually teach music. As a long-term sub, I have no standards and I can do pretty much whatever I like without worrying about being observed and written up. Don't get me wrong, I do base my lessons on the national standards of music, but since there are no expectations, I like what I do and how I do it, and it shows on the kids faces when they leave my room.
So, will I have a full-time position in the next school year? Only time will tell ... that, and whether or not I will be able to renew my teaching license which expires at the end of August. Oh, did I forget to mention that little detail?
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