why i love my job

I know I'm lucky. I actually love my job. And I also know it baffles some folks why I love what I do.

If you didn't know, I teach elementary music to kindergarten through 6th grade. No band or orchestra. Not even a choir. Just general music.

This is a half note. This is an eighth note.

I teach singing skills, music history, (yes my students can give you a detailed story on any number of composers' lives.) and music theory.

And yes, I teach recorders. But I refuse to teach them the song "Hot Cross Buns." If there's one thing I don't want it's for my students to grow up and have the only recollection of their elementary music days be that they could play "hot cross buns."

Ew.

But I love what I do because I love knowing the fact that I'm helping inspire the next generation of musicians and music appreciators. And maybe the occasional future music teacher.

Every once in a while, music makes it into something the students are doing in their regular classroom. The teachers are kind enough to share with me.

The first grade has been reading "The Caterpillar." Then they had to write a story using the same style and structure.

Today, a first grader personally handed me an autographed copy of his story.

What follows is a slightly edited (there were some words I had to have him translate) version of his story.

By: Wyatt

On Sunday Wyatt sang one song but he stil wonted to be a moosikel teacher.

On Monday Wyatt played two songs on peanow [piano] but he stil wonted to be a moosikel teacher.

On Tuesday Wyatt got to play three songs on the drums but he stil wonted to be a moosikel teacher.

On Wednesday Wyatt played four songs on the floot but he still wonted to be a moosikel teacher.

On Thursday Wyatt played five pop songs on a radeyo but he stil wonted to be a moosikel teacher.

On Friday Wyatt got to play six toons on the orgen but he still wonted to be a moosikel teacher.

On Saturday Wyatt did a hole moosik show with his kids and he WAS a moosikel teacher.



So, Mr. Makes-10-times-the-money-of-a-teacher-Bigshot, how many kids did YOU inspire today?