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How to get out?

Posted by Stuck in the city on 10/22/2024, 9:38 pm

Another UIL, another not great score.

I know, a 2 is "excellent." It's still a black mark in the eyes of many.

I want out of my inner-city gig. I've been trying for years. I work my tail off here to get 2s and 3s and I'm tired of it.

I know, "bloom where you're planted" etc etc. I'm planted in the hood. My feeders are a revolving door of hit and miss, mostly miss. None of the admin at MS or HS care about arts, they're more worried (and they should be) about STAAR scores and state ratings. I can't take these kids from barely playing to 6A level.

Scores aside, I'm tired of the nonsense that comes with teaching in the hood. Constant fights on campus. Multiple lockdowns this year already (not drills). Parents completely uninvolved. Kids can't come to rehearsal because they're working to pay rent, or watching siblings so parents can work.

How the heck do I get out and get a better job with a string of 2s and 3s on my record?

Re: How to get out?

Posted by BD on 10/28/2024, 1:01 pm, in reply to "How to get out?"

So-I am going to go a different direction here. Yes, teaching in the inner city is difficult. However, it is also difficult to teach in small rural school districts. The problems can be and are often the same. The teaching in the “hood” comment is concerning because of the mentality it and you convey to anyone reading your post. So here goes. The first question to ask yourself is why did you take the job initially? Do some real soul search on this. After you have done that , and this will sound harsh, is get over yourself. I get the frustration, but in Texas and across the country there are “successful” directors teaching inner city and poor kids. Find these directors and ask them how they navigate their reality. You might be surprised what they will tell you. First thing to remember is, you are working with kids and you have the opportunity to change lives for the better. Second, if you are looking for first divisions, or trophies, or recognition, you may have those goals placed incorrectly. Place the kids first. Treat them with respect and figure out what works for your particular group. Figure out the culture, or DNA of the school and community. What works? Find allies in the district and community and ask for their opinion and help. If UIL is optional, maybe not go for a year, or two while you restructure your program. If that is not an option, get with directors who have experience who have navigated tough situations. Contact Phi Beta Mu and ask if they can suggest someone to mentor you. Also look for examples in schools where the population is changing, or has changed. Talk with those directors and ask for help. I can think of 10+ directors who did good work in the inner city. Some eventually had honor bands in other schools. Find these people and have an honest conversation with them,. Invite them to come to your rehearsals and sit and observe. Ask them for their honest opinion. Finally, if you want to “get out”, look for a high school, or middle school assistant job and be ready to move.

Re: How to get out?

Posted by Hilarious on 3/17/2025, 1:19 pm, in reply to "Re: How to get out?"

LOL, sure… call up Phi Beta Mu—the most exclusive club in band directing where careers are built on the backs of rich programs, wealthy booster clubs, and private lesson budgets that rival small school district salaries. Because nothing says “helping struggling programs” like a membership full of directors whose biggest challenge was whether the color guard’s Swarovski crystals matched the custom drill team boots.

Yeah, let’s pretend Phi Beta Mu is the go-to resource for directors in underfunded programs. That’s like asking the yacht club how to make rent on a one-bedroom apartment. We’re not supposed to call it out for what it is, right? Just smile, nod, and pretend it’s an equitable, merit-based system while overlooking the reality that access to resources—not just talent or effort—has been the golden ticket for most of its members.

But hey, if we really want to test the waters, let’s dig into their budget. What are they actually spending money on? Who is tracking whether it helps kids in struggling programs, or is it just a well-crafted PR stunt to appear supportive while reinforcing the same barriers that have existed for decades?

Actually, here’s a fun challenge: let’s pull a roster of every Phi Beta Mu inductee in the last 20 years and check the economic background of their program when they joined. How many were teaching in deeply underfunded schools? How many built something from nothing without private lessons, without money for custom instruments, without affluent parents running the booster club like a corporate board? Go ahead, take a guess.

Spoiler alert: It’s not a high number. But sure, let’s keep pretending this is the organization that understands the struggles of directors who are out here doing the real work with no resources, no staff, and no built-in pipeline of private instructors grooming kids for success before they ever set foot in a band hall.

No, I won’t be recommending a group that thrives on affluence while claiming to represent “all” music educators. Try again.

Re: How to get out?

Posted by Well on 3/17/2025, 2:59 pm, in reply to "Re: How to get out?"

Well, o can tell you for certain that your characterization of the organization is incorrect. There are a many directors in the organization that have taught in non wealthy schools, schools without private lessons, rich booster organizations, etc. There are directors from all classifications in the organization. And there are many who do understand the struggles you mentioned—in fact I am one of them. I can off hand name, without think about it of at least a dozen others. This organization has made find a mentor fairly easy in Texas. Each member is committed to offering a few free clinics each year. Many who do these clinics also continue working with programs and directors without being paid. I currently mentor four directors and visit their programs regularly on my own time and dime. Many other members are just as involved, or more involved. The resource is there for the asking. Speak with the president and express what you did here and I think you will find out that the reality of Pi Beta Mu is far different and far more positive than you think.

Re: How to get out?

Posted by Did it on 10/25/2024, 8:19 am, in reply to "How to get out?"

I’m very much in the minority here. But I was able to do it. I worked inner-city for my first job and simultaneously loved and hated every bit of it. No one knows what it’s like until you actually do it and to be typecast just because your situation is difficult is one of the biggest knocks against our field. I know for a fact that my job experience in that inner city school prepared me for literally ANYTHING I could experience in my gig today—-lots of people never get that.
That aside, I quit that gig and went to grad school full time. It was NOT easy and I sacrificed a lot but I also worked really hard to show my work ethic and network with directors. My job now is in a better district with so much more support and it honestly saved my teaching career—or at least, extended it. I’m now in year 6 at this campus and while it’s not perfect suburbia, it’s still better than before.

Re: How to get out?

Posted by Inner-City BD II on 10/24/2024, 2:07 pm, in reply to "How to get out?"

It's very, very difficult for inner-city BDs to get out of the inner city once they've landed there. You get, for lack of a better word, "typecast" there.

It's possible - I know several who have done it. But I don't know many HS directors who have done it successfully.

What I've seen work is as follows: Work a few years as a HBD in a HS, then move to a MS in the same district, build them up and get a few 1s, and then you can write your ticket out.

I've also seen plenty of HS HBD move from one inner city school to another, sometimes in the same district, sometimes in others.

But the biggest "way out" is simple. Networking. You have to know someone who is willing to take a risk on you as a director, since you won't have the "skins on the wall" of first divisions.

Start making friends at region meetings, region judging, and at TMEA. It's all about who you know. No one's reinventing the wheel with new band knowledge. There's not a brand new way to play a flute. It's about how well you can teach it - and who knows how well you know you can teach it.

Re: How to get out?

Posted by Outsider on 10/25/2024, 6:38 am, in reply to "Re: How to get out?"

Would you be willing to take a job in a rural school district?

There's plenty of those jobs available every year but so many people refuse to consider it bc a small school is "beneath them" or they just can't leave the hustle and bustle of the larger populated areas.

Re: How to get out?

Posted by Inner-City BD II on 10/25/2024, 7:45 am, in reply to "Re: How to get out?"

My family lives in the suburbs, and my kids (3rd grade and kinder) attend school here, play sports here, and have roots here. My wife has a job in another school district. I can't upend their entire lives just to go take another job in BFE.

To say nothing of the fact that my wife teaches a class that isn't always offered in rural districts - so she would have to change careers if I did this.

I've done the rural thing before. It's very rewarding - it's part of what got me the job I had before my current job (I'm no longer working in an inner-city school).

Re: How to get out?

Posted by really retired on 10/23/2024, 10:23 pm, in reply to "How to get out?"

You could always go back to school in January - get an updated degree of sometime - and start applying for other positions ...

Re: How to get out?

Posted by Nick on 10/23/2024, 12:00 pm, in reply to "How to get out?"

This is going to sound tough, but, have you tried small schools yet? The kind of restrictions you're facing are what you find in a lot of small schools but at least the rigor of the activity is at a lower level. If you teach your butt off in small schools you can get results even not in the best of area. Also, some of my best times have been there because I taught everything which meant that I could control the quality of everything. If the flutes stunk, I TAUGHT THEM! It makes you a more complete band director when you have to know how to teach everything from the beginning. Honestly, a lot of small schools will love a director that just works hard and is for the kids to improve. Just a thought. Find that wonderful little community in West or East Texas that needs a director badly. Go there, build a state program and then you have a great resume to start moving forward into the kind of program you eventually want to lead. Congratulations for giving it all you have. I'm sure it's possible to make it happen where you are but if you're going to be miserable doing it, it's probably time to find somewhere that you will be happy teaching.

Re: How to get out?

Posted by DesertJazz on 10/23/2024, 9:09 pm, in reply to "Re: How to get out?"

I agree with Nick. Get out of the city and find a rural job out there. Try to be an assistant at one of the more successful programs first. As much as anything, you're probably limited by geography if you stick to the city. If you're willing to move, there are plenty of jobs that open. I lost count of the ones in our region this past year! They may not be in the most successful towns, but I guarantee you the discipline and culture of the small towns will easily offset some of the problems you're mentioning.

Re: How to get out?

Posted by My Take on 10/23/2024, 9:28 am, in reply to "How to get out?"

Inner City gigs are hard man. If you are able to take your program back to NV and reset do it.

You mention STAAR scores are the main focus and you are right. That is how admin keeps their jobs. It is tough to be in what I call a testing factory situation. If you are able to take the program back to NV and rebuild at the level the program can operate you can certainly work to get to a one. To be honest, in these dire situations, that may be all the program can do given the circumstances. I know we all are programed to believe that all students can achieve. However, there are places where life is more important than UIL. Can it be done? Sure! Try to take them back to NV and focus on great sounds and making great kids. If you can get outside during class do it. I know the situation with work, rent, and tough family life all too well.

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