Kaylie is currently teaching middle and high school band in Wichita, which she considers her dream gig. She was gracious enough to take time from a very busy schedule to share an update.
“I’m a traveling teacher, so I work at 3 different schools in th district and teach 7 ensembles total,” she said. “I also teach painting classes a couple nights a week at Paint the Towne (a local paint studio). It’s a lot work, but I’m loving life as a music teacher (sleep deprivation and all)!
“I have, of course, experienced some classic first year teacher moments–including the time a huge spider was running around my office…and I freaked out, jumped onto my rolling chair, scooted over to instrument repair station and proceeded to use an entire bottle of mouthpiece sanitizer to drown it, after which I hid it under a cup so the janitor could dispose of it (picture attached!). It’s been adventure to be sure, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything!”
“My students are great and it’s been so awesome getting to know them and watching them grow not only as musicians, but as people. I’m so grateful for my time at K-State and am constantly using the strategies and resources I acquired during undergrad to help me navigate the first-year teacher struggles (except for the spider–never studied how to handle that). I can’t believe how quickly my first year as a ‘real teacher’ is going by and am really excited for what the future brings!”