Finishing up

I am currently finishing my last day of my first sub assignment. It was an absolutely terrifying and unexpected beginning, but in my eyes it has ended well. All in all, I could not have expected it to go any better. It reassures me that the choice I made to sub for a year was the right thing to do. It has felt good to be back. Admittedly, I still have to face the challenge of subbing in a regular classroom. But for now, I feel comfortable knowing I can walk into an unknown music situation and make something meaningful happen in a short amount of time with zero notice. Bring it.

I wanted to say a few words to the students who I have had the pleasure of teaching for the past week. You are a great bunch of human beings, and I am thankful for the opportunity to have worked with you. In fact, I can not think of a better group to have started me off on my unexpected subbing journey. Thank you for being patient with me and helping me through the first bizarre and surreal day, and thank you then for being easy going with all the differences between me and your regular teacher. You all remind me very much of my first group of band kids from way back in 1998. Never lose your love for music, and please take care of the friendships you have made. You are a close group, as band should be. You are a family. A weird family to be sure...but weird has never been a bad thing in my book. Continue to take care of each other. Good luck the rest of the year, and the rest of your lives. I think you'll all go far.

To their director: You have a truly special group of students. Appreciate that and appreciate them. They may annoy you and make you pull your hair out at times, but as a music educator you are lucky to have them, and as a human being you are blessed to be surrounded by people so full of life. Trust me, speaking from painful personal experience: It hurts like nothing else to have the kids you have worked with ripped away from you and to be missing that in your life. I pray that it never happens to you. Be thankful. Never forget it. Oh, and all you guys, please make sure that your football team wins its game on October 21st.

So long all, it's been real, have a great life!

Mr. Specter