..........the right decision!

Lately, I've been questioning my decision to retire from teaching after next school year. There are things about teaching the band that I truly get great joy out of. For example, I never get tired of the crowd response when the marching band comes onto the field for their field show performances. It's as special to me now as it was when I started teaching in 1982. I also take great joy in seeing a student happy with his/her progress after I compliment them upon doing something outstanding. These joys; however, are taking a real back seat to the negative things involved in leading a group of high school musicians. I am taken for granted and truly not appreciated by my students. This is evident in the amount of respect and commitment that they exhibit on a daily basis. I can be sharing the wealth of my knowledge to them on any given day in class, and I will have to stop a minimum of 3-5 times to stop the talking long enough to get my point across (this all in the span of five minutes). The commitment of being present for rehearsals and performances is a real problem. Our football game was cancelled tonight and moved to Saturday night. The football team is required to be there, the cheerleaders are required to be there, but the band just doesn't seem to be able to work it into their schedules. After class today I had a minimum of eight (I actually lost count after that) students who informed me that they had "other plans" and just wouldn't be able to attend. I really don't think I could organize a game of dodge ball with these people if I didn't plan it three months in advance. With all this being said, I don't regret my decision to retire. My best years are well behind me in the teaching field. I must have become ineffective at some point, because my students don't seem to care about the band anymore. I don't know what I would tell someone who is just starting this business. Students and parents are at a level of irresponsibility that has never been seen before in our American society. It shames me to think that Americans are becoming that complacent. If our country is great, it is not by the hand of the current generation. The worth of an education is of little consequence to them. So, I will stick to my decision without regret. I have given my all to my students, and I don't regret that - they do deserve the best. It's a shame that they don't appreciate it. At any rate, retirement and the end of my teaching career cannot come soon enough!