I had something else written for this week, but changed my mind at the last minute and wrote this instead.
The following is a letter I wished I had sent to my colleagues when I was teaching. Hope it makes you smile.
Scott
Insert your program logo and personal information below
(insert date/time of death here)
Dear Scott/colleague:
No doubt you have seen the ghost of me wandering through the halls of late and thought to yourself, "Good Lord... What happened to him? He looks like he's on death's doorstep."
I wanted to put to rest some of the rumors that have been floating around campus lately:
No, I am not auditioning for the Walking Dead.
No, I haven't recently taken up meth as a hobby, although I am not ruling it out at this point.
No, I do not have Zika.
Why do I look this way? Because it's March 1st and I haven' slept since... well, DECEMBER! I know what you're thinking... "But marching band is over, life is so much easier now." I WISH!
I long for the days when I only had commitments every OTHER weekend. I dream of returning to a simpler time when the students and I were laser focused on a singular activity and a common goal. That was my happy place. That was my Zen garden.
Now, you ask? Now I have three different concert bands, two jazz ensembles, solo & ensemble, basketball band, winterguard, and wait for it... THE SCHOOL MUSICAL. Apparently in our blissful state of summer relaxation, we thought it would be a good idea to recreate Spiderman; The Musical using uncoordinated high school kids, fishing line, and some leftover spandex from the color guard closet.
I have worked the past nine consecutive weekends and still have eight more to go. My freshman band struggles to remember where the rehearsal room is, so I think we can rule out making a musical phrase. My top group? Well, when programming the Hummel Trumpet Concerto I should have probably remembered that I only have two trumpets, and to be honest, neither is headed to Julliard, that is unless they teach air conditioning repair there.
Don't get me wrong. I love my job, my students, and my colleagues. I believe in the power of this activity and what it can do for young people. I also fully understand I did this to myself and you and I both know that in all likelihood, I will do it to myself again next year.
I guess this is my way of saying thank you for your support. Thank you for letting Timmy make up the test he missed while we were at contest. Thank you for not marking the kids tardy when I released them from rehearsal late three times last week (yes, I know it was only a four day week). Thank you for putting up with me and I am sorry if I have not been myself as of late. I know I can do better and will as I have recently discovered the wonders of Red Bull.
Just... Thank you!
Regards,
insert your name here
p.s. I hope you can make it to the musical next week! Insider tip: I wouldn't recommend sitting in the first few rows. It's not the singing that concerns me, although it does. It's that the lead has put on a few pounds and the fishing line is looking a little thin.