I have taught in some really alone type situations. My previous jobs have not even had a district of other ‘island’ music teachers. Just me. So I was truly an island. Like many of you. Alone in a district or the only K-12 teacher. Huge districts where music teachers only see each other 1 or 2 times a year but you never chat during the year. And we need people. So how do we find your teacher network?
In 2017, I went to MKMEA for the first time in Kansas City. Dr. Ashley Allen who was my level 1 Musicianship teacher and I were presenting about Multi Age classrooms. I was presenting AGAINST Sr. Lorna speaking (who did that, seriously?). 5 people showed up to hear us talk and we knew they really needed what we had to say. We rushed through it so we could all go see Sr. Lorna. BUT. I was inundated. People excited to see one of the Michigan people. I met people. They were all ridiculously welcoming. I never felt like I didn’t know people.
Then I went to the National Conference in 2018. And this time, I really met people. I remembered a few faces. A lot more remembered me and made a point to talk to me.
I got more involved. As the Michigan Kodaly (MIKE) president, I occasionally had meetings with MKMEA and at the National Conference when I could go. I got more involved with MKMEA people. I sat on multiple MKMEA Conference committees. I chaired the virtual one. I presented more, and I’ve spent tons of time talking about Kodaly in Michigan, and for MIKE. I sat on a committee for OAKE. I went to the conference a few more years because I had a student in the choirs. I finished my levels in Portland, then Oklahoma.
In 2022, someone nominated me for the Midwest 1 Region Rep spot on the National Board. And somehow I won, and I sat on the National Board for the last 3 years.
Here’s the thing.
I’m not an island. I’m part of an archipelago.
Because somewhere along the way the last 10-ish years, I found my people. In Michigan. In Illinois. In the PNW. In Oklahoma. In Vermont. In Texas. In Indiana. In Kentucky. In Minnesota. In New York. In Massachusetts. In Tennessee. In California. In Ohio. In Iowa. In Missouri In Nebraska. In Colorado. In Nevada. In all the little cities in between.
My archipelago is across the country. Sometimes out of the country. I have a network. Of people who are music teachers. That teach a lot like me. That are INCREDIBLE educators. People that I aspire to be like. I go to OAKE and I come home with more ideas than I can say. More connections. More friendships. I think about what I schedule for MMC and wish I could invite all of them to come present in Michigan because I wish I could share their knowledge, their expertise, and share what my amazing friends and colleagues do.
This week I had people whom I DEEPLY respect offer assistance. People who deserve to be on pedestals in the Hall of Fame of music teachers who greeted me by name with a hug. I saw a session showing the blend of Arabic and Israeli music. My friend talked about how hard it is to not know the language in a new country when she was that child. In Norway. I circle sang with my friends. I was challenged musically. We bridged pop music with classroom activities. I heard amazing music. I got my behind kicked in a musicianship refresher. I learned new music for students. I refreshed my teacher brain.
This weekend I rolled off the national board and I’m so much better for the experience. I’m sad I won’t see some of my archipelago on zoom every month. But I’m honored I was able to serve them and I’ll continue to serve in different capacities and if ever called and the timing is right, I’ll come back again.
Reframe
Who is your archipelago? We often feel like an island, but there is a community out there who are your people. It might be they teach similarly to you. It might be the support the offer. It might be a friendly face that finds you a seat. It might be a little silly and a bit of trash talk over each of you supporting a different NFC north team but you can still learn from each other, grow with each other, and get support from each other.
Your network doesn’t need to be in your district. It doesn’t need to be the teacher down the road, or the person the same age as you. My archipelago has people that mentor me. People who are older than me. People who are younger than me. People who are my teachers. People who are my ‘students’ when I present somewhere else (and I am theirs when I learn from them). Some are huge islands that I connect with often. Others are smaller and we see each other less frequently. But none of us are true lonely islands. We are an archipelago.
You DO HAVE a network. They just might be spread out. I want to thank my archipelago. As we go off in our boats to our own islands and land on the shore, know that you are not alone and your archipelago will save you when you need it.
