From the President...
And so it goes... Becky Rodgers, President, AMEA
Congratulations on beginning another school year. How many does that make for you? I've decided to stop counting. It only causes me stress to think about how many years that I've been a music teacher. And it is even more depressing to know that I'm on the "downhill side" of my career.
I have been defined my entire adult life as a band
director. Is that really a worthwhile thing to aspire to be? Will I ever know that I made a difference in the life of a child? Did anybody really care that I worked so hard to be the best teacher I could be and to let my students be a part of something great? Of course, the answer to all of these questions is YES!!!! But today I don't feel like anyone really cares. I have not had anyone thank me today. No student has come in and said, "I'm glad you're my band director."
Parents
haven't called to congratulate me on the outstanding performance of the band at our contest last weekend. Administrators are not feeling "blessed" to have me as their band director. Am I being whiney? You bet I am.
And then I learned of the programs in the southern part of our state that were greatly impacted by Hurricane Katrina. I also heard from the Mississippi President and how devas- tating the hurricane was for their music programs, schools, and all Mississippians.
That is when I real-
ized how lucky I am. No more whin- ing from me!
My day seemed to get much better when I received a copy of our confer- ence schedule from Garry Taylor, our AMEA executive director. I began to read it and get excited about the three- day event: great clinics, concerts, interest sessions, exhibits, speakers, events, awards, and fellowship. I became even more proud when I saw that our FAME Program was actually going to take off this year. There was fuel added to my "musical fire" when I got a call from John Baker, our AMEA President elect, to let me know that
ala breve - October 2005 5
MENC was working to bring the road show of the National Anthem Project to Tuscaloosa during our conference. With the national event crossing our nation for two years, I realized how lucky we are to have it in our state during our conference. Some of the best musical minds in our country will be sharing their expertise with us. I hope that all AMEA mem- bers will make every effort to attend and get your bat- teries charged.
Sometimes we don't get our "warm fuzzy" feelings from our students, administrators, or parents. Sometimes we get them from each other. And some- times we just need to stop whining and be responsi- ble for our own professional happiness. Be happy. Be thankful. Be excited. And be in Tuscaloosa for the best AMEA In-Service Conference that your offi- cers and boards could put together. Look for my smiling face in January. And I'll look for yours, too.
A fellow Alabama music educator, Becky
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