I went down to the high school again today, to observe the music classes and to meet with the district music supervisor. It was sort of an impromptu meeting–and in turned out to be a kind of informal interview. Here’s the gist of things. First of all, there is an opening in the elementary school for a choral/general music teacher right now. What this guy wants to do (he has his Ed.D. from Nova University, which apparently, so I heard, he got via mail) is find someone who will work as the elementary school teacher until the end of the year, and then move to the high school to be an instrumental teacher. That’s absolutely ridiculous. There is no possible way he’ll find someone who is equally good and committed to both elementary choral teaching and high school band — especially marching band. His reasoning for the line of thought is because it would “be easier for him to kill two birds with one stone.”
Anyway, he seemed to really like me, and would like me to come and have a proper interview with the elementary school principal, with the intent of getting the elementary school job and most likely moving up to the high school in the fall.
I’m not so sure I’m comfortable with that. High school band is where I want to teach. Not elementary school. Not chorus. Plus, it’s really the students who are missing out if they are not given an teacher that really desires to teach singing to little kids.
Of course, if I do move forward with the elementary school job, it would be a (fairly, but barely) decent income that would allow me to move to the area and live by myself. If I don’t, I would either be a substitute or temp (or both), which would not allow me to live by myself in the area. Well, I need to call him soon to let him now what I’d like to do. I’m leaning towards telling him that the elementary school thing is not where I want to be, and that it’s going to be difficult to find a good high school instrumental teacher who would be willing to put up with a job where they don’t want to be. He’ll end up with someone who’s (probably less than) mediocre at both jobs.
I’m not alone in thinking the guy is crazy. The band director and the president of the Board of Education are actually on my side about this. The high school principal agrees with the band director as well. Hopefully someone will be able to show this guy that he can’t sacrifice the students to what might be “easier for him.”
Guy calling it a stepping stone huh? Well, I’m an instrumentalist and as a general music teacher I can tell you the job is a lot more than teaching little kids to sing. But I agree with you, working with that age group takes a lot of patience (not that high school doesn’t) and not really having the desire to be with them would make it very difficult.
Hope you find a job that’s right for you or at least close enough for you to make it work. Some jobs might not seem like what you want at first, but they end up becoming it…know what I mean?
Wow…that IS tough. I’d see if you can get them to see reason (as it seems the superintendant has done). If not, I’d seriously consider taking the job ONLY IF they give it to you, IN WRITING, that you will be given a job as an instrumental teacher at the high school the following year. No, you don’t want to be teaching choral music to elementary school kids, but if it’s only for half a year, and it ultimately gets you to where you want to be, then, yes, it is the kids who are losing out, but you also need to take care of you. It’s unfortunate, but if they go ahead with their current plan, the kids are going to lose out, anyway. At least you are AWARE of the situation, and can try to give the kids as much as you can before moving on.