Re: How long is too long to teacher music. -- Heidelberg MusEd discussion

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Date Posted: 13:32:06 04/23/06 Sun
Author: Molly
Subject: Re: How long is too long to teacher music.
In reply to: Kevin Endres 's message, "How long is too long to teacher music." on 06:34:44 04/22/06 Sat

Well, obviously, one can go as long as they are physically and mentally able- a main concern being health issues. Another is patience. As some people age, some age gracefully and become overly kind, while others become irritable and nasty and really just not fit to handle children anymore. I personally think that if health issues (which are just a part of life, not just aging) become a factor, you can't jeopardize the students and their education/experience by walking around like a crocodile with a toothache or become lazy in the way you teach. How long you teach shouldn't be an ideal number set in stone, nor a plan set in our head. Since when do things really work out the way we plan for them to??? As long as you are still effective as an educator, you should keep going. But if you're fifty-nine years old and sit in your office, staring out at the junior high band, with a sharp object muttering about how you could beat them all and no one would ever convict you... it's time to retire. I personally would like to step down gracefully after many years of teaching and retire to a warmer environment with my old, wrinkly (but still cute) husband, dying in my sleep a few years later.

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[> Re: How long is too long to teacher music. -- Laura, 14:03:00 04/23/06 Sun [1]

The moment I read this post, it made me think of what my high school band director always use to say to us. He always told us that he could retire whenever he wanted on disability, and therefore there was always talk about when he would retire. Everyone thought it would be when his son graduated which was last year, but he's still there. He always said that he will keep teaching until he doesn't enjoy it anymore. I think that's an interesting thought. I've worked really hard to get to where I am and by the time I'm a teacher for that long, I'll have worked 10 times as hard. Obviously this is something that I want to do more than anything so I wouldn't mind teaching past retirement as long as I am able. Personally, I think I would get bored just being at home all the time. I'd rather be out doing what I love for as long as I can.

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