06/19/2025
Mrs. P. Has had her last day with students. Last day on the payroll. Last day to grade (of course canvas kicked me out early so one last heart attack for the win). Being mindful, grace full, thankful. Thank you TPMS for a nice retirement luncheon Monday. I’ll miss this place. I have spent years of my life just driving down Piney Branch Rd. There were more hugs & tears from students. I’m sad (maybe a little anxious) but truly grateful to have had this experience. The days were long but the years were fast. God is good.
32 years
2 schools (7 yrs. @ Odessa Shannon MS (Lee), 25 yrs. @ Takoma Park MS
Orchestra, Band, with a few years of General Music, Chorus
9 principals (really exceptional: Linda Perie, Renay Johnson 😘)
362 - highest number of students I taught (by myself) in a year!
~6000 + students (?)
~200 performances, adjudications, & clinics
Heard at least a million scales & given millions of grades.
More meetings than I can count & lots of wrong notes.
Music is not the black dots on the page. It’s the sound you make in the air. I disturbed the air for a little while at Takoma Park.
Favorite memory: assuming that I wouldn’t win over the 8th graders the first year I taught band/orchestra at TPMS. They loved their former teacher (Lynne Joseloff). One 8th grader (Nick Billheimer) came back after school on the last day, shuffled in, handed me a drum key & said I was the best teacher he had ever had. I never forgot & tried to live up to that. The love/the music/the encouragement/validation of students, colleagues, friends has always felt nourishing to my spirit. God is good.
Takoma Park Junior High/Middle School band directors: Chester Patranek, Jack Mauro, Ray Harry, Angela Underdue, (Will McDonald), Mark Mitchell, Lynne Joseloff, Holly Pasquale, and…(waiting for paper work before announcing the next teacher).
