Subject: Re: [MK8] 10 Year Slump

Brian - this has been a fascinating thread to say the least and I have done
some thinking on my own. I retired 8 years ago this June and looking back
I am just wondering if there was something I did that helped me avoid this
"slump". Please don't misunderstand me ~ there were some difficult times ~
but overall, my teaching journey was a fulfilling, happy one. Why is
that? Here is my thought~
Every class, no matter what the age, had some time to stretch out, relax
and listen to music. The time for this ~ usually no more than 5 to 10
minutes of a 30 minute class ~ was absolutely essential and the longer I
taught, the more I firmly believed that this was critical. You could SEE
the tension disappear. You could SEE the energy, the smiles and joy come
forward and take over. Now I am wondering if this "time" in each class may
have also benefited me. You see, although I wouldn't stretch out on the
floor :) I would shut down so to speak, breathe deeply along with the
kids and relax, The focus was on relax and rejuvenate. Could this have
helped in the bigger picture? Could this be part of the reason I never
felt this "slump"? Perhaps ~ and I mention this just as a possibility.
Take some time WITH the kids to relax with some beautiful music.
I ran into a former student recently and she mentioned how she STILL finds
time every day to "chill out" (her term) and listen to music. Wow.......
Just a thought....
Kathleen Bragle, NBCT
kbragle@gmail.com
On Wed, Jan 15, 2020 at 6:11 PM Brian Weese wrote:
> Thanks for all the advice and “commiserating”. Glad to know that it is
> not just me.
>
> Like many of you have said, I love my kids, school and admin, but I am
> totally unmotivated. I’m just not excited about being at school.
>
> I was playing my trombone in a community band for the past 2 years,
> because I wanted to play with other adults, but I haven’t been able to find
> the time since this school year started.
>
> I do have a second job I do on Saturday (servive grandfather clocks) and
> we go to church on Sundays, so I have something scheduled everyday of the
> week. I try to schedule a Saturday off at least every other month.
>
> And I do attend the Atlanta Orff chapter workshops faithfully. I love
> them! Always get something I can do with my kids the next week if I wanted.
>
> For further education I completed Orff levels 1 and 2. I’d really like to
> take level 3 (and level 2 again), but $700 is really a lot of money...
>
> Again, thanks for all the replies. It helps. I’m not sure how long I
> would’ve lasted without y’all and this list!
>
> D. Brian Weese
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