i'm a teacher: part 2

I don't really remember what sparked my desire to teach. I really don't. It has been my childhood dream, actually, but that slowly faded as I entered junior high. By that 7th grade I wanted to be a NICU nurse. By 9th grade it was a paramedic. By 10th grade I had no desire to do any of that. For a few years during high school I didn't have any clue what I wanted to pursue in college. It hit me my senior year.

I wanted to teach.

And I actually wanted to teach orchestra.

Once I got to BYU, that changed.

At some point, I guess my childhood dream resurfaced.

Today, I got my acceptance letter for the Elementary Education program at BYU. I cannot tell you how long I have been waiting for this. When I first turned it in, they said "Expect a response before Valentine's Day. If you don't, come in and see us."

Well, Valentine's Day rolled around. Nothing. Wednesday went by too. I decided to go in on Thursday to see what was up. "They're going out today." the secretary said.

Still nothing.

Then Friday came. I had been checking my email like 5 times an hour waiting for that dang email. Then all of a sudden, it shows up.

Along with an attached acceptance letter.

I cannot tell you how thrilled I was. I have never felt so sure about a decision in my life. This is what I'm supposed to do. I am supposed to teach. I am going to make an influence in kids' lives for the better. After reading the letter, I got chills. I grinned from ear to ear.

It happens, guys. That feeling is real even though I doubted many times. But you'll know it when you feel it.

I. CANNOT. WAIT.

i'm a teacher.

I know, I know. Most of you are thinking "Yes, we know this already. What are you going to say about it?" Well, just so you know, the fact that I'm a teacher became official the other day... Friday I think? Who knows. Anyways.

Trying to put a recital together is kind of tough. This year, with some inspiration, I decided to pick my students' songs for them and get them out early. I decided to do a "pops" concert complete with songs from the most famous composers (i.e. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, etc.) as well as pieces from our time (i.e. movie themes or hit songs). I'm really excited about it.
After finding each student a 'classical' piece, I began to freak out about what they could possibly play that was popular. I mean, I had plenty of books, but most of my students are level 2 and under with a few (like 3 or 4) exceptions. Also, they've been BEGGING me for specific songs from movies and such. I had no clue where to find them online (which is impossible...). With this dilemma facing me, I decided to venture off into the land of music.

aka Best in Music.

After finding what I wanted, I came up to the register. The lady said "Are you a teacher?" I proudly and happily said "Yes, I am!" She then proceeded to ask for my phone number. I gave it to her and she looked puzzled and said "Maybe we have you under a different number..." I thought for a second and said "I've never given you guys my number, so I'm not in there." She happily exclaimed "Oh, that's wonderful! Let's get you in the system so you can get discounts when you buy music for your students."
Say what?

Yes, you heard right. And I know that this may not be a big deal to pretty much all of you, but to me it is. I'm in a "teacher database" if you will and I get discounts! Wahoo!

Oh and a side note... I have a violin student who has been playing since last summer and she auditioned and made it into the advanced (highest) orchestra at her junior high school! Way to go Camille!!


Teaching pays off :)

Here's my loot! Complete with songs from Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Scooby Doo, Superman, and hit songs such from JBiebs, Michael Buble, Colbie Callait, Coldplay, Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, and various others. I'm quite excited and I know my students will be too!