Kathy’s life lesson story - Kathy's Life Lessons

Hi, my name is Kathy Phillips, and I am a teacher, musician, and writer.

I am blessed with four grown children, and a growing group of grandchildren who call me Grammy. My family is one of the main reasons that I live and breathe. I’m always ready for a phone call for advice, or a fun-filled visit. Since becoming a Grammy, I’ve experienced so much deja-vous watching my children as parents. You could also say, I have experienced much pride as well.

I am happily married to my husband, Rob. It is a second marriage for both of us. We face challenges like all couples, and always remember to balance work and play. Rob and I often travel up north. For non-locals, “Up North” is what we call the upper portion of Michigan’s lower peninsula and its upper peninsula. Rob and I are currently working on projects to prepare a place up north to share fun with the family.

I am a recently retired teacher. During my 33 years, I’ve taught 3 year olds thru adults in music (general, vocal, and band) and English. This tale is an adventure in itself. Many of my life lessons were derived from my life as a teacher.

During my life’s journey, I’ve been gifted with lessons that I hope to teach here to my new community classroom.

Have pride in your heritage home

I am a 2nd generation Filipina-American through my grandfathers who came from San Juan and Luna, La Union in the Philippine Islands. I am also descended from English, German, Irish, and Scottish immigrants through my grandmothers. My great-uncle Eli, the family genealogist, shared that we were descended from the first female to step onto Plymouth Rock. I was fascinated by this and when I took up genealogy, I vowed to find the connection through Family Tree Maker software. While I was searching, I discovered that we were also descended from the royal Plantagenet family. I am very proud of my lineage. As a result, I feel strongly that we should not only feel pride as a citizen of our home country, but also recognize our unique mixture of various heritages.

When I was a child, I felt great pride in announcing to anyone who asked or would listen that I was Filipino, English, Irish, German, and Scottish. I also felt very strongly about correcting anyone who didn’t pronounce my last name correctly. It was pronounced Ganaden [Gah-NAh-dehn].

When I became a teacher, I knew that before I could teach any lesson I needed to respect each student’s unique background, culture, and religion with no exceptions.

Words and Music: Where do I go from here

To start, how did I begin my teaching career?

In the 1980s, my love of singing and performing led to a job choreographing show choirs at various high schools in the Detroit, Michigan area. Choreographing show choirs was my first real job and I loved it! I was still in high school when I began creating movement for choirs. I was also working on writing a trilogy at the time. Two of my friends were my readers and we had great fun with it. Creativity was an important part of my youth that grew into my profession.

I decided to get into Music Education with a secondary teaching minor in English. I graduated in 1986, from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. To be honest, I chose English as an afterthought, since I loved creative writing. I really wanted to teach music, so when I applied to districts I sought after music jobs.

First Official teaching job

My first teaching job was in a very small district where I worked with elementary, middle and high school general and vocal music. Most of my time there I taught the younger students, K-5. I had wonderful students and put on many musical plays and concerts. It was fun, and it never felt like work. I put all my energy into it.

In 2011, I found myself involuntarily transferred to the high school where I taught the high school choir and English, much to my surprise. I literally had to become a student, while still the teacher, and learn to teach a course I had never taught. Over three years I worked at finely crafting my teaching practice in vocal music and English.

However, for all my hard work, I was often rewarded with unwelcome surprises. In year two of this change, I lost my choir program. It was a small district and the administration told me that there weren’t enough students registered. Music is my great love and I was not happy teaching English alone.

The opportunity to teach choir returned the next year and I developed a new music appreciation course. I also created a writing course for my Seniors. I felt very satisfied with my accomplishments. It was a very creative year and I felt proud of my students, especially my choir. But, I was dismayed to learn that the choir program was scheduled to be cancelled for the following year. With 26 years into this district, I decided to find another place where I would be appreciated for my work as a teacher of music.

Sing for your Supper

When I was in college, I sang with a Hawaiian hula dance show, known as Lehua Lani’s Polynesians. I transcribed the traditional music for the leader of our performance group and led the singing for the show. Though I enjoyed doing our shows, I couldn’t always rely the checks. They sometimes bounced!

My next singing gig was with a band after I graduated from college. It didn’t last very long. We did one job in Utica, Michigan, and then the drummer quit. After that, the band didn’t recover.

When I left that small district where I started, the road ahead was fresh and new. I had always wanted to perform live again. I began collaborations with two local musicians in both jazz and oldies music. It was a very brief stint, but I think that it was worth the time. I fulfilled a dream singing and even performed at a bar for St. Patrick’s Day, which was featured on the radio.

Kathy singing on St. Patrick’s Day

Have teaching certificate, will travel

Leaving a job is never easy. My usual advice to others is to have a job ready before you take that step. This was emergency to me. I couldn’t spend another year trapped teaching only English. This was not an option.

I found a job for a private company giving voice lessons and coaching young and old singers. It was a little outside my comfort zone and the pay wasn’t great. My hours were quite limited.

I began to get desperate and a remembered seeing a job opening in a substitute teaching company. I had subbed in my old district whenever a teacher got sick and there weren’t any substitutes available. Sadly, my music classes would get cancelled. It was worse yet if we were preparing for a concert. This didn’t leave me much time since I met with elementary students once a week. However, I needed a job right away so I put in my application. I got a response immediately and got the job!

I look back at this time as the fork in the road. Never in my dreams did I think that a substituting job would lead me to the very thing I had been seeking. I had taken a great risk leaving my job four years before I could actually retire. But this risk led to opportunities to fulfill dreams I always had.

The first year was rough going. I decided to take only the jobs that I felt that I could do well. I often took posts related to the fine arts (music, art, theatre), English, history, library, and a few other academics I felt qualified for. In time, I grew more contacts and added additional school districts to my profile.

The Big Break

In my second year of substituting, the contacts I made began to pay off. A band teacher needed me to cover for him while he traveled to Japan for a tour. I wasn’t a band teacher, but I had a little experience when our elementary band teacher had an unexpected absence. The teacher gave me the lesson plans along with a book to help me tune instruments for concert band and strings.

Soon after, a music teacher in the same district contacted me to ask if I would sub for her elementary music classes during her 12 weeks off for maternity leave. I was a rare treat to work in a classroom with a Smart Board. I created a Unit using “Wee Sing Around the World”. The 12 weeks went very quickly as I took the students on my World Music Tour. We “traveled” to different countries and learned about their cultures and music. I created arrangements for classroom instruments and there were many singing and dancing activities.

Growing as a Musician and Teacher

Toward the end of the assignment, I learned that the district’s high school director needed a sub while she was on maternity leave. I was nervous, but decide to apply. I got the job! It was fun, exciting and a real stretch for me to grow as vocal music director. I worked diligently to measure up to expectations as I prepared classes for Choir Festival, Acapella competition, and a New York trip performance of Robert Ray’s Gospel Mass. It was my best experience yet. I had never been able to do these things in my first district because it was very small.

Shortly afterward, a former teacher contacted me about another long-term subbing opportunity that could turn into a job. With her recommendation, I became the long-term music teacher at two elementary schools. I picked up where she left off and completed the year with two outstanding performances at both schools. The World Music Tour unit easily worked into the classes and it seemed that everything would come together for me.

Disappointments

Just when I thought that I would finally be hired by a school district, I learned that a previously laid-off teacher would be recalled to the music position. I had impressed both staff and administration, yet it wasn’t enough.

What I really believe is that I was not meant to take a job like the one I had done successfully for years in my old district.

I was revisiting my old triumphs from my heyday as an elementary music teacher. But at the time, I grew frustrated and looked through employment ads hoping to interview with a school district that would hire me.

No such luck. I continued to substitute teach.

The District that finally hired me

Needless to say, the district where I had taught long-term music jobs finally hired me. I answered another ad and began teaching shared time music at a K-8 parochial school. The best part was that public school employment meant I was able to qualify for retirement credit and collect a pension. I was also able to continue subbing to supplement my income.

Then, I had another stroke of luck. The middle school choir teacher recommended me as a long-term music sub at an elementary school while the music teacher served as principal. The school’s principal had taken a leave of absence for illness.

It was just the kind of work that I knew well. I was expected to lead the final concert and only had a month to prepare. It was a success.

The pay was an improvement and I didn’t need to travel to sub in five different districts.

For the next few years, my supervisor gave me other assignments in shared time music. Eventually, I would work at two parochial schools in music and band, the alternative high school in music appreciation, with additional work as a librarian and computer teacher. The latter jobs were a stretch for me, but it seemed these opportunities gave me the chance to continually reinvent myself.

Teaching English beckons once again

I hadn’t mentioned it but my first two years of substituting typically began in September and ended in June. The summers were a financial disaster. I had to borrow from a TSA retirement account and since I could not pay it all back, there was a heavy tax penalty.

Since I taught for this district, I learned that there was an opportunity to teach summer school English.

I had bills to pay and this was a good opportunity, though it was challenging at times. English may not have been the field of my dreams, but it gave me the chance to help students succeed. I continued teaching summer school English until my retirement four years later. Ironically, my last class was the best class I had ever taught.

Last day teaching in a classroom, summer school 2020

Earlier that same year, I accepted a position teaching Adult ESL English. It was a humbling experience. I developed a deep respect for people who wanted to learn to speak and understand English, so that they would find success in the United States.

Though I had taken a risk by leaving job where I had served 26 years, I was rewarded with experiences that have made a difference in my journey.

The Great Blogging Adventure

So now I am retired and 57 years young. Though I love being a Grammy and I have a great relationship with my husband, I need to keep busy. I had long mulled over writing about my life lessons and sharing my knowledge. Now I can offer my optimistic perspective to the online community. Through this work, I intend to stay relevant and continue to encourage people to be all that they can be.