In the summer of 1997 I was hired to be the Band Director at Lehi High School. It wasn't much of a job- since there were only 15 students on the first day of class. Eight of those students were horrified to find out that they actually had to bring (and play) their instruments, so I sent them to drop the class. One moved away in November, so for most of the year the band consisted of 6 students. I had no real idea how to be successful
with that group, so I decided to make them successful as individuals. Three of the six made All State that year.
Since the JH was in much the same condition it took a while to grow. Pete Swiderski was a brand new teacher that year and as his program grew, we added students at the high school. I was a half time teacher and the seams were starting to stretch by 2003. We added some classes, did some additional recruiting, and made the position full time beginning in the 2004 school year. I was excited for the new challenge. . . until my mom broke both hips. The stress level in my life had exceeded my ability to handle it, and I ended up quitting my job.
During the last six years, I have had very little to do with music. The stress of dealing with my mom clouded my memory and made me think that I was done teaching forever. I watched what was happening at the high school, but stayed away through three teachers in 5 years. This became increasingly more difficult as Colby became more and more of a band geek!
Everything changed in December. Our band director, who is also a member of the Army National Guard, was activated. He announced the news to the students and sent out an e-mail to the parents. I was blissfully shopping and ignoring my Blackberry's message features when I got a call from Ed asking if I was ready to teach. After he read me the e-mail, I called Mr. Seamons and offered to substitute whenever he needed me. Little did I know what that would mean! I taught most of January, most of March and I will be back at the school on May 6 until the end of the year.
I was pretty nervous about subbing so much, but it has been a joy. I re-discovered the love of music and I remembered why I became a teacher in the first place. What a great group of teenagers! After much talk and discussion, I decided to apply for the one year position to cover for Nate while he is in the Middle East. There were 14 applicants for the one-year position! I got the news this afternoon that I was chosen to get the job.
So, deja vu. Same classroom, same office, new students, more classes. A little like 1997, but it's going to be a whole lot more work! Watch out Lehi High- I'm coming back!
