Color Guard

My first teaching assignment was at my alma matar. When I was a student there, I was a huge band geek. I was in the marching band and concert band. I loved the daily music fix, and I loved being part of an organization full of people with interests similar to mine. During April of my first year teaching, I agreed to be the color guard sponsor for the marching band for the following school year. (At the time, I planned on indefinitely.)

This was a mistake. My relationship with the head director had not been positive. He played favorites and was not a nice man. I thought as a teacher, this would change, but I was seriously mistaken. What I didn't know when I was happily going about my business during the beginning of the following year is that the person who had been hired to teach the girls in the color guard was not following the rules. So much so, that he ended up being fired for misconduct with a student about half-way through the marching season before he'd finished coreographing the routine.

The girls were devastated. And although I couldn't teach them, I could love them. And I did. I was serious about protecting them from all the things that were happening around them. Even through all the backlashes from the head director, total lack of communication and utter hostility, I came to see these young ladies as "my girls."

One of "my girls", Caroline, gave this charm to me for Christmas that year. My goal is that one day I'll be able to look at it and just remember the great times I had with her and the rest of the group. For now, it's a precious reminder of the importance of loving those you come in contact with.

I was only the sponsor of this group for one year. And even though taking the job was a mistake, I wouldn't change a thing. I learned a lot. And those lessons have ended up being important thoughout my career.