How a music specialist position resulted from music teacher job opening.

Yes, a music specialist position launched her "change career, with purpose" journey. When a music teacher job opening was presented to my wife, that opening for a music teacher eventually led to a elementary principal position.

Applying For A Music Specialist Position

While she certainly possessed each and every music teacher qualification asked for, up to that point, she had never considered applying for a music teaching opportunity.

It was in one of my ministry career moves that a music specialist job opportunity opened up for my wife.

Wanting to continue teaching kindergarten as her first choice, all she could find in that specific community was placement on a long substitute list. Then came a music teacher job opening.

Being A Middle School Music Specialist

She was called to substitute teach in a middle school music class. For most substitute teachers, being assigned to teach middle school music was torture. But for my wife, who is well qualified to teach music, she did fine.

In fact, the music teacher administrator for the district showed up to play the piano for the school chorus class. This had been decided just so the class session would not be wasted, due to a substitute teacher not being musically inclined.

While my wife had listed on her application that she played the piano, having someone with musical talent was not necessarily a music teacher qualification insisted upon when it came to music class substitute teachers.

Middle School Music Class Opportunity

Principals felt fortunate if anyone willing to substitute teach in a middle school music class just showed up and completed the day! The music administrator was a bit late and was very surprised to hear the choir already singing, and the pianist was very accomplished!

Filling A Music Teacher Job Opening

A few weeks later, a music teacher job opening brought to the memory of that music specialist administrator my wife's phenomenal musical skills. Recalling her music teacher qualifications, she phoned my wife to see if she was interested in what became a long term opening for a music teacher.

At that time in Bellingham, WA, there were 200 applications for every teaching job. People would often substitute several years before being asked to interview for a classroom teaching job.

Being a music teacher in that music specialist position would have been much easier had these musical instruments been available for her students.

Pathway From Being A Substitute Teacher To Becoming A School Principal

By accepting that substitute teaching job, my wife enjoyed 5 years employment as a music specialist for the Bellingham Public School District in Bellingham, WA. OK, maybe enjoyed is an overstatement, but teaching middle school music was then followed by 8 more years as a classroom kindergarten teacher.

You see, after several years of lugging music equipment around, and having to work for several principals at a time (each one thinking he or she was her only boss), she longed for the classroom again.

Returning To A Kindergarten Job Opening

She returned to her love for teaching young children when a kindergarten teacher job opening allowed her to return to being a classroom teacher. Responding to an opening for a music teacher led to much more.

As we look back on that music teacher job opening, who would have guessed that responding to that opening for music teacher, with her only music teacher qualification being her piano playing ability, would provide a new career as a middle school music specialist.

Great Classroom Management Skills

Not that she wasn't qualified for such a career change. But then, taking that music specialist position eventually led to the principal position.

You see, it was responding to that music specialist position that eventually led her to becoming a principal.

I have an idea that playing the piano helped her land the music specialist position but it was her classroom management skills that led her to the principal position.