Kathryn: One year, at Cherokee Vocational High School. It was a K-12 school, and I taught 5th through 12th grade. I taught high school band and various classes of beginning middle school bands.
Amy: Why did you decide to become a teacher? Kathryn: I wanted to be a bassoonist and my mother, being wise, said, “Honey you need to at least get your teaching certificate,” and at that time I didn’t know what she really meant by that. She just said you can always fall back on it, and I thought, “Well fall back on it? Heck, I want to be a bassoonist!” But during my freshman year, it didn’t take long, I understood what she meant by that. The longer I was at the University, the more I realized, “I don’t want to practice 8 hours a day,” and I saw the odds of how difficult it would be to make a living in the performance arena unless you were an extraordinary musician. So I [switched to] music education.
Amy: Were your parents musicians or teachers? Kathryn: My mother went to the University [of Alabama]. She started out in music on piano and realized quickly (and I’m sure that’s why it influenced her to encourage me to get my teaching certificate) that unless you were an outstanding player, it was and is tough to make a living in the world of performance. Mother
taught English
literature and grammar for grades 4 through 8. My dad was a salesman and then, a civil servant in Alexander City. His primary objective was to make sure that his three children went to college. We all work hard. And oddly enough, nearly everyone in my extended family is a teacher!
Amy: Was it difficult to find a job when you graduated? Kathryn: I graduated the summer of ‘75 with my master’s degree. It’s early August and I’ve been putting out job applications everywhere. Well, how many female band directors do you think were in the state at that time? The answer to that is, maybe three at best. Blanche Simmons was the premiere female band director and taught at Fairhope High School. Out of three or four [female] band directors [in the state], you’d only hear about one or two of them and Blanche Simmons was the first name to be mentioned. But here I am, graduating at the top of my class and having, I suppose, been considered one of the top candidates for a
ala breve
band director, yet because I was a woman, I couldn’t even get an interview. I would call the principal or the superintendent, and they’d say, “We’ve already made a selection.” So that’s how it was in 1975. It was VERY disheartening and embarrassing. The anxiety can be overwhelming about acquiring a first job, being man or woman, but fortunately, probably a week before high school classes began, I got a call from the principal in Cherokee, Alabama. [At the interview] the first thing [Mr. Taylor] said to me (and you could never get away with this today) but he said, “I sure am glad you‘re not some small young girl!” I think he said “petite girl” (laughs). In other words, “I don’t know if you could handle a big group if you’re a small-framed female.” And I said, “Well, no sir, I’m surely not that!” (You know, I was rather desperate to land my first band directing job and September was approaching fast.) (laughs). Basically, they were in a bind, and so was I.
Amy: What memories do you have of your first or first years of teaching? Kathryn: There were only about 40 [students] at best, that’s including four majorettes and eight flags that I decided to recruit from the school population. So it was a start from scratch kind of thing. They didn’t even know how to play scales, the whole bit. I will say this: it was a great learning experience. I mean I had to drive the bus, the school bus from high school to middle school (laughs) three times a day to teach those various groups. It was just, “Take what you could get and make a class out of it.” I would pick the students up in the school bus and take them to the high school—by the time we got there, we’d already lost a good 15-20 minutes of class time.
Amy: How many years did it take before you felt fully in control of your craft as a teacher? Kathryn: I think you’re always continuing to learn when genuinely passionate about your profession. Each class is different and each student has his or her own challenges. I felt like I was always learning. Being somewhat of a perfectionist, I often tend to look at what I could have done better rather than what was good out there, and what the students and I had done well. I don’t know that I can ever say, “I’ve learned all I can, and I am now in control of all areas of my teaching capabilities.” I feel competent, but the bottom line is that you’ve always got room
to learn.
Amy: Was there a period in your teaching life when you were the most "in the zone?" Kathryn: I think my last 4 or 5 years, I felt strongly that I finally knew what I was doing. I knew what I needed to concentrate on as far as developing shows, not only for my students but also for the crowd, for the team, for the alumni, and for our devoted Crimson Tide fans. But I’d say that when I started noticing that people were remaining in their seats at half time, which was certainly my goal, I was beginning to feel in a zone. I wanted to keep people there, watching our band at half time, not going to get a hot dog. Those last 5-8 years, I would climb my ladder and check out the crowd— I was always looking at the crowd—and I saw that, I suppose, 98% of them were in their seats. People told me all the time that they come for the half time. Now I know they come for the game as well, but that’s a nice compliment. That, to me, caused me to feel very competent as a band director and pleased for my students. They deserved the praise and appreciation.
Amy: What became your strengths as a teacher? How did you develop these? Kathryn: I certainly made time to listen to my students. If they had complaints, I wanted them to come to my office. It was difficult because at the end I was worn thin by not having adequate staff, but you have to make time for the students. And if they have a valid complaint, then I certainly need to take that into consideration and weigh its validity. A lot of times they had excellent points, and I certainly tried to change.
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Kathryn Belle Scott
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