Thoughts of...Music Teacher and a Mom

The season of Winter Holiday Programs is a low point in the Music Teacher's year. It's stressful, everybody including the principal has to put their two cents in, and the kids are wound up. Sophanne is a pro, she's been doing these for years. This year was my first.

Parents are a hoot; overheard at Sophanne's concert: They didn't tell me I had to dress him up. [duh!] That would be the parent who would walk out without realizing how much work (blood, sweat, tears (mine) and drink) goes into 50 minutes of kid entertainment.

And then there are the Choir field trips. Oh. My. Gosh. Choir Field Trips are like a children's Birthday Party on steriods. So my principal scheduled 4 stops for us, one of which is another nearby elementary school (Elementary School D). His reasoning for stopping there was so the kids could eat a healthy school lunch, because McDonald's wasn't healthy enough for him. And while we are there, he and the other Principal (henceforth known as Principal of Elementary School D) thought we could sing for the kids there too.

I was stressed.

Bits from Choir Field Trip Day:

My Principal: Did you call a sub?
Me: No, I thought you did.
Principal: That stinks. (Frantic rescheduling)
Coach: Those two are going to kill each other on the trip.
Kindergarten teacher who's missing her extra plan: evil look as she passes me in hall.

At Elementary School D:
Principal of Elementary School D: Maybe we won't take your kids on a tour of the building. They're a bit excited.
Me, justing coming out of bathroom: evil look at choir.

Music Teacher of Elementary School D, from up in bleachers: Do you need any help? [the night before she emailed me to see if her choir and my choir could do a few songs together. I turned her down.]
Me, sitting on gym floor with choir who's being extra well-behaved/scared: No thanks

Principal of Elem School D: passes out chocolate covered pretzels to my choir on their way out the door.
My Principal: does a slow burn because the kids just got juice and cookies from the previous place and he doesn't even let them bring in candy for school Halloween parties


My Principal: Since we're running ahead of schedule, let's stop by the School Board office, they're having a luncheon. We'll sing for them.
Me: Sure kids, eat your chocolate covered pretzels
Me to bus driver: There's going to be some heavy drinking at my house tonight.

So we sang at board office. Assistent Superintendent introduces herself and cryptically tells me, "We've heard so much about you." Does that mean good or bad?

I introduced the Big Boss Superintendent to kids as "the man who calls off their snow days". He told them they could have all next week off. One kid was like, "wait, we already have that off..." I was suprised the board office people laughed at my stupid jokes. The kids were wedged in between the tables of food.

Last we went to the cold stone creamery. Principal kept calling it "stone cold creamery" until store owner corrected him. We sang. They got free icecream. Someone (can't imagine who) called the newpaper reporter, so we had to sing again because he was late.

I went home and opened up a bottle of wine. By the time I recapped it to my husband, everything was a huge joke to me, and then I fell asleep at 6:30.

I feel so much better the next morning.

I'm so glad that's only once a year. I had enough excitement to last for a while.