Oh, YEAH!

So, if you know me well, you know that I have been longing to get a job as a school teacher for several years. My degree is in education, and I was working in flute repair because I thought it would be good for a music teacher to know how to fix instruments; as a flute player myself, I thought it would be especially good for me to specialize in my own instrument. I don't begrudge the years of experience; it's been an incredibly stable job, I've enjoyed my coworkers and the vast majority of my clientele, and I have become (as several of my customers and flute friends have informed me) one of the best flute repair specialists in the nation. But when an opportunity comes along that is what one has been waiting for... well, it would be foolish not to jump at the chance!

I've recently been hired as a music teacher at a preschool! I'm really, really excited about it. It's part-time, but it's such a wonderful opportunity! And, I'll be able to continue part-time at the shop, as well. Which is also a very good thing.

To be perfectly honest, I had all but given up on finding a teaching position in music. I was starting to think more about doing additional certifications just to make the field a little wider. So many districts want previous experience, and so many were puzzled as to why I'd chosen to work in a repair shop for so many years and was "just now" trying to find a teaching job. Meanwhile, all these younger folks were graduating from college with their new shiny teaching certificate, fresh from their student teaching and full of verve and excitement for their chosen field. I, too, am full of that enthusiasm, but it seems that the fact that I chose a non-education job first might have made me a less viable contender. But it looks like my chance has finally come!

It was so serendipitous, too; a couple of our close friends heard about the position opening, because their child attends the school. In the matter of one week, I heard about the position, talked to the preschool director, came in for 2 interviews, and was hired. Thanks, Cheryl!

I'm also really glad that I'm able to stay on at the shop, too. I have a super apprentice who has become one of my closest friends, and even though she's learned a lot and has progressed rapidly in the world of advanced flute repair, it wasn't going to sit well with me to leave her "high and dry" if my boss decided that having me there part-time just wasn't good enough. So, good things all around!

I start my new job next week. I cannot wait to see what the world of teaching has in store! Updates (however sporadic...) to follow.