Looking for Silver Linings

I've talked to a lot of people in the last couple days. Union people. Colleagues. Students. Parents. I have tons of morale support, but the truth is that I have to eventually face Principal Palpatine with no more backing than my union rep, and I've come to understand that even that may be denied me. It's been a roller coaster of hope and despair.

Least useful: Our union president. I don't mean to imply that she isn't sympathetic to my cause. But being that she's the one who dances with the district brass the most frequently, she's probably the least capable of throwing weight around in a teachers defence. Most of her e-mails to me have been explaining the extent of administrative rights and powers, as well as the restrictions of the union. She's the one who told me that the district has already flexed its muscle in refusing to allow a union rep to sit in a meeting that wasn't a formal disciplinary action. Her best advice: "Take lots of notes, and good luck"

Most useful: Mark - School Board member. As I said in my last post, I e-mailed Mark and asked him if he would agree to meet. He's a former band teacher himself, and he and I had worked together on several projects. Mark came to my classroom today, we talked for over an hour. I was very careful not to ask for any favors, only advice. But in the course of explaining the events as they unfolded, I told mark about Palpatine's formal e-mail cc'd to two assistant superintendents. "She cc'd Carl?" he asked me. I nodded. He said, "I'm meeting with Carl tomorrow. I'll have a word with him."

That may do wonders for damage control, but that wasn't the best thing about my talk with Mark. He gave me lots of advice about how to proceed with Palpatine. A lot of it echoed things that everyone else was telling me: Don't take a hard stance, don't give her reason to bring down a charge of insubordination. At the same time he gave me advice that only another music teacher could have given. He reminded me that there was no way that a band teacher could be expected to produce a marching product starting in October. It would be the end of the football season before we even got people hired. "She'll have to wait until next year, at the very least. There's leadership training, show design, uniform and equipment purchasing, music selection, parent organization... That all takes a long time. And... well... how long has she got left anyway? Do this right, and you can wait her out."

I hope so. My closest friend on campus (Elaine - English teacher extraordinaire) told me that it may be best to think of Palpatine as a permanent fixture. Everyone knows Palpy has her eyes on a higher district job, and will most likely be gone... maybe soon. But you never know. As far as I know, she's not yet finnished her doctorate and there's never a gaurantee that she would find another job immediately. Elaine: "It might not be a bad idea to have feelers out there."

In the mean time.... despite having gotten a full night's sleep, I still haven't recovered from my Sunday-night worry-fest. Grades reports are due tomorrow, and I haven't had a cohesive lesson plan in AP Theory since Friday. Wait... huh? I'm supposed to teach music?

Another Sleepless Night

I promised myself not to check my school mail this weekend. I couldn't resist. Here's the story as short as I can make it:

An e-mail exchange with Principal Palpatine now has me cornered with promises I may or may not have made, based on misunderstandings from my last big meeting with her. She is now accusing me of ignoring the blatant needs of the students of *My School* in a long, detailed e-mail (full of twisted words, irrelevant information and misrepresentations) that she CCd to two of the top district brass (We're talking assistant superintendents).

However low I may have been on her radar... I have officially become front and center in her cross-hairs. My good friend (Former AP) Jeff tells me that I'm walking on glass, and that the road before me could *possibly* lead to dismissal if I'm not careful.

I am at least careful enough to refrain from responding immediately, if at all. I need to regroup (again) and plot ,my course much more carefully. My mistake this time was over-reacting to an e-mail that I should have just let go. Now I've forced the issue.

Pro: I still have my deartment chair and colleagues batting for me.

Con: Palpatine will try (probably successfully) to take them out of the equation. She managed to sneak my department chair's e-mail out of the reply boxes. I made sure they got forwarded.

Pro: My union rep is right there in the middle with me.

Con: The union rep's notes from the last meeting seem to favor Palpatine.

Pro: I am not unknown to the district brass. Not only have I done several high-profile performances in their presence, I've addressed them directly on more than one occasion at the board meetings. Several of them remember that I was the 2005 "Teacher of the Year" for the entire district.

Con: I don't know how much that will help

Pro: One of the school board members is a former band director. I've e-mailed him asking for his guidance, being that he knows both the music world, and the jungle that is school district politics. We are on VERY good terms. He's agreed to meet with me.

Con: I can NOT ask him to pull strings for me behind the scene. He's not even the representative for our part of the district. Regardless, it would be an exceedingly bad move on my part.

Pro: I haven't yet unleashed my considerable parent support.

Con: Jeff says it won't matter. Besides, the parents sometimes aggrivate rather than help the situation.

I have no idea how this week will unfold. One thing is for sure, I can not show my face up in the front office. I think I've also trippled the work I have to do this week. There WILL be another meeting... soon. I need to be ready. I think I'm going to have to cancel all my private lessons.

In any case, I've just spent most of the night awake, staring at the ceiling.

Perspective

I'll save you the details, because most of you have read too many of my rants, but depite my recent return to a happier state-of-being, I drove to school angry this morning. Angry at Principal Palpatine. Angry at football parents. Angry at the American culture that largely believes that music in schools is an extra-curricular activity at best, and one that should be a slave at the beck-and-call of every other entity on campus. I feel like I'm the only one who thinks that the music program should serve the needs of the music students first.

When I got to school this morning, this was the e-mail that was waiting for me.

It wasn't from Palpatine.

It was from one of last year's seniors.

Hey Mr. M... or is it * MY FIRST NAME* now that im all colleged an that sort....

ANYWAYS, how are things on the southern front. Alot has happened since we've had a heart to heart like the good ol days. Ive been in need of a mentor since my parents got divorced a week after graduation... I distracted myself over summer with working 7 days a week and once i stopped to come up to school and was moving in with only my mom... it really hit me. Well ive kinda been moving through this first month of school aimlessly, and decided i needed your words of wisdom back in my life. I never really got the opportunity to truly express my gratitude for all the support you gave me and how much i appreciated the confidence and chance to grow as a leader. You taught me it was ok to take risks and chances, then fail and pick myself up.

As i go through the first few weeks of college i've looked back at my time in high school and realized this. I don't really miss the people. i separated myself somewhat from them at the beginning of the year due to personal reasons, but i missed you and the lessons you thought me on a weekly basis, through your music. You used the music to express lessons of life that i will never forget and ones i hope to be able to use in the future. But now with out your influence and music in my life... i feel somewhat lost, i feel that i missing a mentor to impart his learnings and life experiences with me. So i hope you will stay in contact and keep me updated on the status of the department. If you ever need help or advice on anything you know where to find me. It often gets lonely here and listening to our music and remembering your stories is a good waste of time.

I broke down a little after reading this. I had no idea what he was going through. None. At the end of the year, his parents threw a graduation party for him, and you never would have suspected that there was trouble. Strangely enough, reading this was exactly what I needed... further justification for why am I who I am, and why I need to keep standing up for the things I believe in. Because there are more important things than worrying about football games.

I know so many unhappy people right now.... for various reasons. Reasons that make my own irritations seem laughably insignificant. I think the timing is right for me to be a beacon to help the people I care about to find their way.

Two New Songs Today

Advanced Choir: "Lonesome Road" - James Taylor

The only pop song I've ever given this group...but it's a damn good one. Sad. Beautiful. I have a history with it... it reminds me of being a kid at summer camp. I remember the counselors singing it to us by moonlight. It had me tearing up... the rehearsal had me tearing up.

Awesome.

Concert Choir: "For Good" from Wicked

I ordered this one for my "2nd" choir, thinking that the fact that it's from "Wicked" will make it an instant hit with the class. It was. But I also forgot that two of my best singers from the class of 08 performed it at graduation. I instantly thought of them, and how I miss them. So there I was tearing up again for the second time in just a couple hours....

*Sigh*

...And to think my parents wanted to talk me out of being a music ed. major in favor of a more "substantial" career....

We learned enough of the song to let the kids try the solo. I discovered some pretty good singers who had been hiding in the class. One of them was a girl who seemed to blossom about six measures in. When she was done, I said "You know, Grace... the singer you turned into about half way through the solo... that's the singer I'd like to hear from the beginning." She looked at me and said "I'll try but... well... this is a really emotional song for me." She gave me a look that seemed to say "You're a grown-up, how can you possibly understand?" I tried to give her a smile back that said "I do, kid... more than you'll ever know."

Vanities and Rivalries

I may have offered this confession before about my ugly inner-competitive nature, and my less-than-flattering opinion about a colleague/rival... but it's fresh on my mind again. Please forgive the way I come off as a rat-bastard. I'm just looking into the corners of my mind and writing things I would never have the guts to admit anywhere but the internet.

So....Lets talk about Roger, my counterpart at *OUR RIVAL SCHOOL*. Like me, he teaches vocal and instrumental . He and I get along well enough. We're friendly. We do each other favors. Underneath the surface, we have a rivalry going. He's the big Texas-style band director. I'm the classical music snob. He has the big marching band (easily four times the size of my band). I have the district's only string orchestra, as well as the district's only AP Music Theory class.

Now... I have tried to tell myself for years that I'm not about competition or comparison.... but the ugly truth is that deep down inside I compare myself with him all the time. I think I choose better repertoire, and aim for far more artistic goals. And though it sounds like a horrible thing to say, I must let it out - I believe in my blackened heart that I am the better musician. What pisses me off is that for all of my "noble intentions" there is one glaring annoying fact I can't get around: his kids are stronger performers.

Now I can rationalize this about a dozen different ways: He does mostly band all day long (one choir, band and jazz), my attentions are split between five different mediums and an academic class. He doesn't have to deal with beginners in his program. I have beginners mixed in with the intermediate and advanced kids. He has a feeder school. I have to feed myself. But there it is... his kids just play better. I keep thinking "Wow... what I could do with that band" But the problem is... I can't shake the thought that if they were my band they might not play so well.

I have a Masters in instrumental conducting. I know how to wave a stick. I know the really good band rep. I can analyze a piece and philosophize about the relationship between themes and the function of the harmonic progressions. I've conducted most of the band war-horses, and continue to discover more great pieces every summer at the music institute I work for. But see, those kids aren't mine. I borrow them from districts that have really great programs. I'm not responsible for them being great players... I just put great music in front of them and give them a little guidance. Maybe I don't have what it takes to grow great players. It irks me to think that Roger, as disconnected as he is with the art, surpasses me greatly in that field. (He just doesn't know what to do with them once they figure out how the instrument works.)

Last Saturday I ran into the drama teacher from *OUR RIVAL SCHOOL*. I knew for some time that she didn't get along with Roger so well.(1) In our ensuing conversation, I heard it for the first time from her own lips. She was frustrated with Roger because he refused to participate in music theater (2) and because he was just difficult to work with. She kept telling me that she wished I was over at *OUR RIVAL SCHOOL*. That made me feel good (although there is no way I could ever bring myself to move, shold the opportunity arise.). Later, she sent me an e-mail:

Hi Mr. Maestro,

I really enjoyed talking to you on Saturday. I am always impressed with your vision and creativity, and it was wonderful to just spend time discussing your kids and your program. Don't let anyone destroy what you have built. You are an amazing educator who deserves only the best.

Obviously, I was very flattered... but at the same time I felt a little guilty for the tingle it sent up my spine, having come from one of Roger's colleagues (and an arts person, no less.)

Oh Lord, please forgive me for this vanity that plagues me. And by all means feel free to send me a little smack-down should my ego really jump the fence. (3)


1. I make it a point to be on good terms with our drama teacher (we share too many kids).

2. Neither did I when I first started teaching, but once I got into it I really enjoyed it.

3. There I go again, talking to a God I'm not entirely sure exists.

Kickin' Ass and Takin' Names

So yeah, this year has definitely started on a high. I'm definitely out of the whiny/depressed funk that I was in the 2007-2008 school year. Not that Principal Palpatine is trying to make my life any easier... Oh no.... what with the 65-count, 7-12 grade, beginner + intermediate + advanced horde that got shoved into 3rd period band. If not for that , I would have a really comfy teaching assignment this year. (The rest of my classes are just darling.)

But really... this wasn't meant to be another bitch blog. I actually wanted to rave about all the stuff that's going well... really well. In some ways... best ever.

* Personal Enthusiasm Restored - Four years ago, I was the guy who would never leave my classroom if not for the fact that I had a wife to go home to. I completely reorganized the music rooms and transformed the office into quite the happenin' pad. I even preferred eating lunch with students to eating with adults. My job was my life. Two years later, I was the guy torn between the thought of leaving a school I loved and getting away from an administrator who was determined to use me like a chess piece, no matter how miserable it made me. Things started to slip. Piles of clutter started gathering in my room. I let my communications with just about everybody slip. My level of happiness was noticeably depleted.

Last year, I tried to force the "happy me" back. I made little steps towards recovery, but it felt kind of... well... forced. This year everything just snapped back into pre-Palpatine mode. I can tell because I'm not waking up with that dread of going to work. I'm not scrambling to get out the door at the end of the day. I'm keeping the room clean... and my office. Paperwork is getting done. It's all good.

* The Wonders of Modern Technology - Well, the down side is that the district pulled all access to the FTP server that I was (unbeknownst to them) piggy-backing my department website on. The up-side is that they brought in this fancy all-inclusive on-line system for... well for everyone: students, parents, teachers, administrators.... everyone. From now on we all keep our gradebooks in the system, which are also instantaneously posted for students and parnets to see. We can put an assignment on our calendar, which is followed up by automatic reminders e-mailed home to everyone. We can send communication to some or all of our classes, individual studemnts and parents, all teachers of a particular student. We can post events on the school calendar. They're not done working all the glitches out, and not everyone likes it. I think it rocks. It's already making my life a lot easier.

* Having The Right People In Your Corner - Oh where do I begin? How about the fact that my student leadership team is about the best it's ever been. Not that I haven't had great kids working for me before, but this year there's less dead weight and more general enthusiasm. They just pulled off a very successful beach party. The trick will be to keep the steam going all year... but it's a darn good start.

Then there's the parents. At the last school I worked at, the parents were the bane of my existence. Here, they've been a key element in my survival. They are far more likely to ask "What can we do to help?" than they would complain (or tell me how to do my job.) There's one in particular who's been helping me with a lot of my paperwork and stuff. It's amazing.

Finally, there's my colleagues; my fellow arts teachers, my union rep, and all the people on campus who have shown a concern for my well-being. They've been coming out of the woodwork lately. It's all very inspiring.

* Maestro Mojo In Full Swing - One thing I know about myself: I'm not a heavy disciplinarian. I try to inspire cooperation through the establishment of a healthy rapport with my students. Over the years, I've refined this process to an art form. So as much as I may complain about the "3rd period horde"... the truth is, I'm likely to win a large majority of them over. This was evident in the number of new kids who showed up to the beach party.

* Christmas Came Early This Year - In addition to a $10,000 grant that dropped into my lap recently (new instruments!), I also got word that the school's booster organization agreed to buy us an additional choral riser (we were having trouble fitting on the set we have now) as well as safety rails. I wasn't sure that they would go for it... the etsimate was more than that group usually grants to school programs. But one of the booster parents told me "You hardly make any requests, which is why we're more likely to grant them." Awesome.

Yup... things are good. And it's about damn time.

By the way..... I hope you had a happy "Talk Like a Pirate" Day

Lunchtime Blues

I should have been paying attention more this morning when I made myself that bagel sandwich: I'm pretty sure the roast beef is more than a few days past it's due date. So what I have is a sandwich that looks great but smells suspect. *Sigh* At least I brought the wife's leftover pasta (about six solid bites) from Macaroni Grill as back-up.

Deals with the Devil

So, yesterday's meeting with Palpatine turned out to be the battle that never started. My department chair told me that having the union rep in the room helped a lot. (1)

But yeah, everyone was smiles and handshakes. So much so that I couldn't help but think "This is too easy. How is this going to turn bad for me later on down the road?"

Anyway, here's what we came up with:

* People in the community have been belly-aching about a marching band. But mostly that's been athletics parents who want a band out there supporting their kids. We don't know if there's much of a need from parents for their own kid to be in marching band (or from the students who would be filling the ranks of said marching band.) We're going to develop a survey to see where they stand on that.

* If it turns out that there is interest in being in marching band, then we're going to look into hiring someone to do it. It doesn't have to be me.

* If not that many people respond, then Principal Palpatine can go back to the whiners and say "Look, we put the bait out there, and hardly anyone bit. I'm sorry but unless you're kid is going to pull double duty and march in the band themself... it isn't going to happen."

* We are not going to run a marching program that tricks, blackmails or forces kids to be in it.

I can live with that.

It is a little strange to finally have come to some common ground with Principal Palpatine.... I've gotten so used to distrusting her. What started to cross my mind during the meeting was the possibility that the pressure she's been putting on me may have been a result of the pressure people in the community have been putting on her. But this is Palpatine we're talking about... she isn't exactly honest about conversations she may or may not have had with other people. Also, I'm pretty sure that the idea of marching band as a dumping ground for the "middle" kids is still very appealing to her.

The really freaky thing, though, is the thought that after all this time longing for the day that Palpatine would just pack her bags and go.... she may have just become the "devil I know." Not only that, I may have just cleared the one and only hurdle that lay in our path.

Wow.

Regardless, I'm counting yesterday's meeting as a victory for my sanity. My good friend / former AP Jeff says that I probably earned some respect from Palpatine just by having the balls to show up to that meeting with an entourage that meant business.



1. Also, I've been taking codeine-laced cough syrup the last few days. It kind of takes the edge off.

The Eve of Battle

Tomorrow is the big marching band meeting with myself, my department chair, counselors, the district music coordinator, the middle school principal, and Principal Palpatine. My department chair suggested that I ask the union rep to show up as well. She agreed. Palpatine doesn't know about that . . . yet.

Let's back up about twelve hours to this morning's department meeting. What was supposed to be an hour and a half of talking about all sorts of cross-curricular planning and needs assessments turned into a very long discussion about my predicament. The verdict: the arts teachers have decided to put up a united front on my behalf with the department chair leading the way. The message: Palpatine does not have the right to dictate the purpose and direction of the arts programs. I've never seen so many people's fuses lit on my behalf. I almost teared up at several times. I had to duck out early because of my 0 period class, but before I left I looked at them and said, "Thank you all for not letting me go through this alone."

Oh, and you remember that bit that the union president told me? Well the drama teacher put it in another perspective:

"Anything that happens outside of school hours is extra curricular. Whether or not it's related to your subject, they can't make you do it. You have the right to refuse the stipend"

Whether or not that holds true, it sounds briliant.

But you know what was the best part about today? It was the sophmore trombone player in 3rd period. She came up to me today and asked "So... what.... are they really forcing us to do this?" I looked at her and said "I don't know.... we haven't had 'the big meeting' yet." She turned to go to her seat, but then she faced me again and said, "You know, Mr. Maestro.... I really don't want to do it, but if they're makingyou do it.... I'd go along with it. Just for you."

Dude.

That's loyalty you can't buy at any price

Happiness is. . . .

* The choir kid who brought me a huge wrapped jalapeno cheese bread. Just because.

* A simple melody like the "Chorale to St. Antoni" played well enough by freshly tuned strings.

* Listening to my 80s mix during my prep while I'm doing work.

* Students who go out of their way to make sure I'm happy.

* Parents who go out of their way to make sure I'm happy.

* Iron Man action figures sitting on my desk.

* Getting a replacement for the key to the music lockers.

* Finding out that maintenance came in and fixed all the lights, even the one in the instrument repair room that's been out since 1974.

* The freshly polished floors at the beginning of the school year.

* Working at a place where people don't let you suffer alone.

Tick . . . . Tick . . . . . . Tick . . . . .

So I've been told that little Billy in choir is one of the top problem autistic students in the entire district. The kid has not one... two aides that follow him around during the day. Two. Does that tell you something? Let's also take into account the flood of e-mails and special task force meeting announcements that have been cluttering my in-box regarding this kid. I should probably be scared.

The thing is... he hasn't been all that bad. I've had a lot of special needs students in my classes, and Billy is far from being the most disruptive. Oh sure he has his moments, but they pass pretty quickly. I really didn't see what all the fuss was about. Not until today.

Yup, the volcano finally blew. Fortunately, it wasn't during class. Choir had just ended, and all the kids had all shuffled out the door, including little Billy with aides in tow. A few minutes later I heard his voice in the hallway. He was screaming as if he'd just found out that his puppy was run over by a car. The aides were trying to get him moving to his next class, but he wasn't having any. Then he ran back in the choir room and pointed at the wall...

Hanging there was an architectural poster, showing a painting of a proposed auditorium they were planning to build at our school (but never got around to). Billy was fixed on it, screaming at the top of his lungs:

"IS THAT WHAT THE SCHOOL USED TO LOOK LIKE? WHY DID THEY CHANGE IT? WHYYYYYYYYY DID THEY CHANGE IT? WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY?"

Finally the aides dragged him off.

Wow.

I suppose it's only a matter of time before it hits a major populated area in my teaching schedule. But you know what? I'll deal with that when it happens.

Updates

Regarding Kyle:

So I was in a bit of a fix: Do I go back to the counselors and have little Kyle's schedule changed back into what it was... or do I wait until Mom and Dad figure out exactly what it is they want. After all, it was an assumption on my part that lit their fuse. I figured that assuming they wanted his schedule back in it's original configuration might be dangerous as well.

Regardless, I sent an e-mail to the counselors, explaining the situation, and warning them that Kyle's mom was probably going to make an appearance. She didn't. They changed Kyle's schedule back anyway. I held my breath hoping it was the right thing to do.

Tonight I get an e-mail from Kyle's mom:

Mr. Maestro...

I hope you had a chance to return Kyle's classes to the original state. I never received a return call or email from Mr. Counselor regarding this matter. I am now quite concerned. My school web account still shows that he is listed in a different history class, and in choir. Now we don't know what to do. I also can not log into his regular history teachers class "blog" to see what is due, upcoming tests, etc...
I hope you are able to help us with this mess. Kyle will remain in your class...with four broken bones in his hand. He has not had a great Jr.High beginning...hope things get better for him!

Thanks, Kyle's Mom.

The funny thing is, when I saw Kyle in 3rd period today, he was totally cool. I apologized to him and he just smiled and said "It's no problem Mr. Maestro." Analysis: Kyle is a chill kid.... mom is one of "those" parents. Of course, since he's switched back into band he's going to have to try to learn to manipulate an instrument with only one hand. Trumpet might have been a possibility... had it been his left hand in the cast. Alas.

Regarding the War on Marching Band:

I met with the union president today. I didn't think it would help. I certainly didn't think it would hurt.

Yeah... just my luck .....

Confidently, I asked if I had any contractual obligation to start a marching band ala Principal Palpatine's wishes. Union president's response:

"If you're qualified to teach math, the district can tell you to teach any math class it needs you to teach. You don't really have a choice."

Fuck.

But the silver lining: It isn't solely up to Palpatine. The decision really rests in the hands of the school site council. *Sigh*

Time for me to do some politicin'

This Is What Happens When You Put The Berserkers Near The Front

So, after the recent round of e-mails regarding the whole marching band issue with Principal Palpatine bounced back and forth, I decided to quietly line up some power players on my end: In particular, my department chair and my union representative. I forwarded them the (one-sided) conversation that had been going on between myself and PP, and said "don't jump in just yet, but I would like to have some advice on how to proceed." The union rep discreetly e-mailed me back and said "Talk to the union president ASAP." My department chair, however, apparently fired off an e-mail direct to Palpatine (I don't know what was in it, but given said deparment chair's feisty nature, I'm guessing it wasn't friendly). Palpatine now wants a meeting with about 7 or 8 people involved: myself, the counselors, the middle school prcincipal, the district music coordinator and my department chair.

This will teach me to look at my school e-mail on a Sunday.

I wasn't ready for something of this magnitude just yet. But who knows, maybe it will end up being a positive thing. (As in PP gets the message once and for all - I WILL NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH MARCHING BAND AT MY SCHOOL)

.... No Good Deed......

So... Back-to-School Night, a smiling couple come up and talk to me about their son, Kyle, who is enrolled in 3rd period horde... er.... band. Now Kyle was a victim of the well-meaning counselors who signed him up for band even though he doesn't play a band instrument. He plays piano. The counselors, of course, don't know this... to them a musical instrument is a musical instrument. Bless their souls. They try... they really do.

So little Kyle is one of four kids in band who thought they were going to play piano. I had to gently break it to them that they were going to have to pick another instrument. Being that they weren't ready for this predicament... their little minds settled on the first and easiest solution: play drums.

So, lets introduce problem No. 2: over 20 kids have indicated that they want to play drums. Now, given the number of actual percussion instruments I have, I think I may be able to keep.... maybe... seven of them occupied at any one time. That mean the other thirteen will have to stand around and bang on practice pads until they get their turn on a real drum. That won't be fun.

So Kyle's parents, trying to save their son from a boring and/or uncomfortable situation wanted to talk about their options. It sounded like the class really wasn't what Kyle wanted. I warned them that switching out of band meant switching into the only other electives left for middle schoolers: orchestra or choir. In neither of those classes would he be playing piano. They said that choir would probably be a better choice. We all smiled, shook hands and parted ways.

So... the next day, Kyle came up to me during 3rd period. I looked at him and said "Oh, yeah... right.... I talked to your parents. You know what? I'll take care of it." I decided to do them a favor and went and talked to Kyle's counselor to have him switched. Badda-bing-badda-boom... I have one less in the horde and one more in choir. Mission accomplished.

Well, today, I get an angry e-mail from Kyle's mom saying that they were shocked to log into the school's on-line system and see that his classes had been changed. That Kyle had NO desire to be in choir. I had absolutely NO right to do this WITHOUT their permission. She's coming down to school first thing Monday morning to discuss it with me.

Huh?

I'm really hoping it gets resolved as a simple understanding. I sent her an e-mail back and apologized, said I would switch his schedule back (or let her do it... she may not want me mucking with his classes any more.) I really need her not to take this to Principal Palpatine. I think I'm getting ready to go to the mattresses with PP, and I really don't need her to have any ammo.

Phhh... that's what I get for trying to do someone a favor.

Another Day in Sherwood Forest

I know I promised I wasn't going to complain about Principal Palpatine. Okay, well... I think what I meant was that I was going to stop blaming my misery on Palpatine. And to that I am going to hold true. I do, however, reserve the right to complain about her, and poke fun at her as the case may be.

The sad thing is, I've stopped believing that I can communicate with her. Any e-mails I send her from now on are sort of a courtesy FYI. I don't expect any kind of a response that was thought out, or that shows any kind of contemplation of what's in my (or my program's) best interest. It's simply a formality I go through.

Case in point (The short version):

I email administration / counseling: "I have too many kids in period 3, not enough instruments, too diverse a variety grade and ability"

Palpatine emails back: "What a wonderful opportunity to start your marching band."

Two years ago I would have flipped out. These days, I just laugh and let it float by. I no longer come to work with that sense of doom, wondering when she's going to implement some new devilry that will cause me great pain and misery. I've come to perceive my dealings with Palpatine as sort of a serial adventure. The on-going struggle between Robin-Hood and Prince John, in which each event is just another chapter. At the end of the day, Robin goes back to his forest hide-out and enjoys a warm fire with Tuck and Little John... while the Prince huddles in his castle with the Sherrif of Nottingham... scheming about the next round of taxes.

So... she says "marching band".... I say "no".... and life goes on pretty much the same way it has the last three years.

Not that I'm not looking forward to the day Richard returns.

Tally Ho

!!???WTF??!!

One of the people I make a point to smile and greet warmly during my daily routine in Olga the cafeteria lady who serves the faculty food during break and lunch. Olga was a sweet elderly Polish woman who's thick accent makes it nearly impossible for her to pronounce my name... a thing I will remember her fondly for.

I know I just made it sound like she died... She didn't. At least, I'm pretty sure she didn't. It's hard to tell... I haven't seen her yet, and I don't think I'm going to. She might have retired... who knows... but what it really comes down to is this:

They're not serving the faculty food anymore. Zip. Nadda. If we want we can walk around the counter and grab some of the stuff they serve the kids, but dear God. . . Mr. "Pushing-40" Maestro doesn't have the metabolism to burn through all that crap anymore. Jesus, if it weren't for the need to talk to people my own age I wouldn't even bother leaving my classroom during the day.

Okay, so.... now I'm making sandwiches and bagging up the leftovers from dinner to take to school every day. That blows.

D-Day 2008

Well, we're off and running. Here's the short run-down:

Choir: 42 kids. They seem nice. A few squirly boys. Whatever. Half the room freaked out when I told them about their final exam: singing a solo song in front of the class.

Band: 72 kids. In any other situation I would have been ecstatic. Here's the problem: the 72 kids break down into high school and middle school kids - highly experienced players, somewhat experience players, barely experienced players, and rank beginners. 21 kids want to be in the percussion section. We don't have enough instruments to give the rest. About a third of the kids don't know why they're there... they didn;t sign up for band. There's about 12 kids that I want to send via trebuchet into the next county. This class is a nightmare. I don't know why I feel so calm about it right now. Maybe I just stopped caring. Why 72 kids?.... because it was a good place for the counselors to dump people since so many electives were shut down in order to create more Honors and AP courses.

AP Theory: 21 kids. Nice. Mellow. Too bad I ran out of cough drops at the beginning of class. I think they were expecting me to keel over and croak after about a half-hour.

Orchestra: 24 kids. The Good Lord saw fit to grace me with 2 new cellists this year (and here I though we wouldn't have a cello section). They're both 7th graders, but you know what? ... two young 'uns is better than nothin. Every one seems nice. It's a young group, and we won't be doing the advanced repertoire of years past... but they have a good vibe about them, and I think I'm going to enjoy the year.

I have another 50+ students I haven't seen yet because they're in my 0 period classes that don't start until tomorrow. I'm expecting them to be fine.

The short of it: if not for band, I'd be feeling really good right now. Well, actually... I do feel pretty good. I'm past the point in my life where I let things keep me up at night. But band is definitely going to be a problem. Maybe I should just go buy a box of kazoos.