Re: Re: Tis the Season to Audition


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Posted by Chuck(G) on December 31, 2002 at 13:12:05:

In Reply to: Re: Tis the Season to Audition posted by js on December 31, 2002 at 11:45:11:

Good advice, Joe!

I'd also like to offer the observation that very few ed majors actually find out what teaching is like until they land a full-time job. (I'm married to a retired HS teacher). And with the current sitatuion with most state finances, getting a job teaching music at a public school is far from a lead-pipe cinch.

You may think you've got it made when you land the job as middle-school BD only to find an underfunded department, a contentious administration, and kids who have "issues". You may wind up in a position where the faculty, kids and parents don't care about anything musical past learning the school fight song.

I'd recommend that anyone considering a vocation in public education find a way to attend a retirement party for a public ed teacher and talk to the attendees--and notice how tired most of them look.

To be sure, if you think that teaching is your life's vocation, go for it. My wife fondly remembers her really great classes--and still shudders at recalling of some of her really awful ones. It's really strange--occasionally, I have those school nightmares where I'm hopelessly unprepared as a student. She has the same school nightmares--but she's the teacher.


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