It's been a great run

As most of you know, Danielle and I will be moving to the Eastern part of the state, as we have both accepted jobs in the Omaha area. Danielle will be teaching 11th & 12th grade English at Gretna High School and I will be teaching vocal music at Omaha Burke. That being said, I thought I would reflect a bit on my time in Ogallala. As a disclaimer, the rest of this post will jump around...so be prepared!

Today I spent my last day as a "staff member" of Ogallala, and turned in my keys and said goodbye. It was bittersweet. Actually, today was really easy. It was yesterday that kind of hit me. My last period of the day yesterday was my concert choir, which generally is the students I have spent the most amount of time with in my 4 year tenure at OPSD. The period was quite hectic, as kids were in and out, making trips to their lockers, the guidance counselor, and other random places to get their check out sheets signed. As "chaos" ensued around me, I just sat back and watched. It was surreal looking at these students and thinking back on the great memories. After the stress of moving and summer school wears off, I will take some time to sit back and reflect even more on my last 4 years of education.

Just off the top of my head, I can say that I have grown immensely as an educator while being here in Ogallala. I have made my share of colossal mistakes and have had many opportunities to experience success. I don't think a lot of people truly understand what it means to teach, how it feels to teach. I am constantly second guessing and looking back on decisions I make. What I have REALLY come to realize in my time in Ogallala is that even though I make a decision for what I feel is the best for the students, not everybody else will agree with that. I am slowly coming to the realization that people are going to be upset with me. People are not always going to like what I am doing or how I handle a situation. Sometimes that is just life. What is important is that I constantly reflect on the outcome and how I handled the situation. I can also say that the past 4 years have helped me to realize how much I truly love working with youth. Their energy and personalities are so contagious and they teach me so much every day.

I also learned that sometimes traditions are good, and sometimes they are not so good. I have begun some "traditions" with the OHS Choir department that I am excited to see continue. I also know that if it doesn't continue, then the director had a good reason to discontinue them. And if his reasoning is not legit...oh well. I say that because I know exactly what it is like to have to make decisions that others may not agree with. One tradition that I started...and ended...was the signing of the wall. One day I just decided it would be cool to let the students sign the wall of my office. Below are some pictures of my wall, and it is amazing how a simple signature and message really brings out each individual personality. These small things are what really make a difference to me! I hope you enjoy reading the messages (if it is big enough) and for those students who read this, thank you for giving a piece of you to me the past 4 years...I truly appreciate it!

Bigger & Better...

Please...don't jump to conclusions until after you read the blog. This week God answered a prayer that many of our close friends and families were praying, and that is that a job would open up for me. On Friday, May 4th I had the opportunity to go to Omaha and interview for a vocal music position at Omaha Burke. Long story short, I received a phone call on Thursday from Human Resources and was asked if I was interested in being a Burke Bulldog. Of course I was overwhelmed with excitement and happily accepted the position.

After my adrenaline decreased, I took some time to email some of my colleagues and let them know of the change. One colleague emailed me back and said congratulations, and that I was off to bigger and better things. That phrase got me thinking..."bigger and better"...

I want to make sure people understand that bigger does NOT equal better! That has NEVER been my mindset. What opportunities I will gain from living in a large city/teaching in a small district will be offset by the things I will lose by NOT living in a small community.  I believe better can be achieved regardless of size. I have seen and experienced greatness in communities of 650 and I have read stories of disappointment from communities of 500,000.

I guess my point is not to get caught up in the size or population of a location. Don't believe that this population has a direct relationship with the success. Measure success in growth! I believe that we all have opportunity to grow. I always tell my students that a stagnant lake will quickly start to smell like "poo" because it is not moving. I also believe strongly that you are either moving forward or backwards, and rarely do we simply maintain and not move. As my wife and I move out to Eastern Nebraska to start the next phase of our life, we will take many great lessons and memories with us that we have received from the wonderful community of Ogallala.

Emotional outpouring: HS Choir

There is SOOOO much going on in my head right now that I am not sure how this blog is going to come out, but now is the best time to do it!

Well it is 10:30 on a Friday night, and I just got home from our high school choir concert. Normally, this would be the time I would change, clean up, veg out with my wife. BUT, this time is different. This time, I came home after a wonderful concert, knowing I will NEVER have the opportunity to conduct these students again.

After 4 short years, it is amazing how much of an impact students can have in your life. Tonight helped me to realize that. It was emotional. Tonight was tough. There were moments where I felt like a father proud of their child for accomplishing the most amazing of feats. There were also times where I would look right into my the eyes of my students, and simply wonder what else I could have done for them. When the mass choir was singing, I had to fight every ounce not to break down and cry like a little baby. They weren't going to be tears of sadness, or tears of joy...I think they were tears of confusion. Tonight is one of those nights I go home and just sit, with an empty feeling in my gut...not sure what I'm suppose to put there.

Tonight, I came to understand that what I do, and what few people misunderstand, is a true blessing. I GET TO get up every day and work with kids. I GET TO sponsor dances, organize fundraisers, and attend countless student activities. I GET TO grow and learn every day, when others think that I am suppose to be growing and teaching youth. I spent two entire songs tonight at the concert just performing. I was conducting and the choir was singing. After the second song, I came back to reality and quickly remembered there was an audience. It was surreal, and I had never had that experience before. Think about it...I didn't WORRY about the audience. I didn't WORRY about the sound. I connected with my ensemble and the literature and we were doing one of the most natural things known to man...we were making music. We were sharing a story. We were healing somebody. We were lifting somebody's spirit.

Tonight I realized how much some students rely on me. I also realized how much kids AREN'T taught that they are capable, that they are worth something. On many occasions I have had kids tell me that things are going to fall apart next year, and I just remind them that THEY make the choir. Others will say that things will be different next year. Well duh, things are different each year!


Tonight I realized that I can make a difference, and each of my students can as well. Right before concert choir sang, I reminded the of one truth. I simply said, "If we are going to do this, why not be great." It sounds so simple, yet we often times don't think of life that way. 

Well, after the night was over, I can safely say that they WERE great. Did we sing our best...I don't know. Did everybody appreciate the music choice...I don't know. What I do know is that when those students were on stage, they were themselves. They were vulnerable and honest. I could SEE the truth of how they felt...I could FEEL it in their performance. Music is an amazing tool and gift that too few people TRULY understand.  The OHS Choirs were GREAT tonight because they figured that since they were already there they might as well be. I am SOOO proud of what those kids do that I can't even put it into words. I choke up simply thinking about it.  Strike that, I start to weep thinking about how amazing they are. My prayer is that the students of OHS find a love of singing in the art, not in their teacher! My prayer is that I have equipped them to succeed without me. It is okay to hold on to memories, but it is important to keep focus on what is important...We end each of our concerts the same way, by singing "The Lord Bless You." My prayer is that this tradition can continue, so that the identity of OHS Choirs can continue to grow.  So to my students, I simply want to say...

"Let music never die in me; forever let my spirit sing! Wherever emptiness is found let there be joy and glorious sound. Let music never die in me; forever let my spirit sing! Let all our voices join as one to praise the giver of the sun! Awake, awake! Let music live!"