As you walk in the door and look to the left, you see my desk. There is the can of Guido tomato sauce that I used for a pen cup.
The Dunkin Donuts coffee was definitely bought for me by my pal Ms. Vasco. There is always a pair of confiscated drum sticks on the desk.We will go into all this in more detail later.
During my time as a teacher, I worked at four different school districts. In every district, at every grade level the music faculty I worked with were dedicated, talented musicians and teachers.
As we go through this narrative, I will joke about budget and administrators. The two folks at the right are Music Dept. Secretary Donna Donahue and District Music Director Pete Gibbons. Together, they were the entire support system for the music faculty.
Not enough can be said about the impact these two loons had on the music students in the district. Ms. Donahue is a godsend. A former student at IT, she was far more than Mr. G's secretary. Their music department, top to bottom, always operated in the best interests of the kids.
Mr. Gibbons had an immeasurable effect on the arc of my life. I had my first contact with him in 1993 when I was fresh out of college, 43 years old and looking for my first teaching job. I had 9 interviews that summer, every opening filled with someone who had experience. He gave me a chance.
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 The Island Trees Music Braintrust
10 years later he had moved on to Island Trees. I had worn out the administration at Garden City and was banished from my beloved kids in middle school, now teaching kindergarten music. When no other administrator would go near me, he offered me a positon at Island Trees, back in middle school where I belonged.
Jump ahead another 10 years and I have now worn out my welcome with a new set of administrators at ITMS (not Mr. G.).
What happens next is just speculation on my part. He and I have never spoken about it. After 19 years as a teacher, I believe I was going to be excessed (school jargon meaning "laid off"). At the last minute, with no advance warning, Mr. Gibbons retired as Music Department Chairman, knowing they would not fill his now empty position. Boom - just like that there is money in the music dept budget for one more teacher. I got to teach my 20th year and retire. |
