Why I Teach

From the "Dispelling Ignorance" Dept.

Editors Note:

There is a 1-minute and :49-second video below. Be Advised it is LOUD. Take precautions to lower your system volume before listening. It is important to note the volume because it was meant to be loud but we want to warn you beforehand. Thanks ;-)

I returned to Des Moines in the Summer of 2009, to see my mother Mary Alice, recently retired as a Unity Minister in Teaneck, N.J. I was glad to be there for her that summer and it gave me a chance to walk the few blocks to revisit my 1967 alma mater North High School.

Even while living in California, I was aware of what was happening back at home in Des Moines. A dual-layer of

1. No Child Left Behind (NCLB)-induced weirdness combined with

2. Republican-induced budget (and later curriculum) constraints signaling an erosion of institutional support from State political leadership.

3. Unfortunately, even the DM school board was undergoing deep challenges.

It was all troubling because I love my hometown and its educational, musical and cultural heritage. When teaching music and technology curriculum in Marin Co. independent schools from 1996 through 2014, I often positively referenced the relevance of my Iowa educational and artistic roots.

While teaching the children of the Flower Children I often noted that while San Francisco was known as the center of a culture, it was often places like Des Moines, Omaha, and even less glamorous places which spawned something special to be discovered in a place like San Francisco.

In relating my Iowa experiences to Marin students, I came to understand and appreciate even more deeply the joy and community enrichment derived from Iowa’s deep commitment to our public schools.

Scene: July 2009 Des Moines’ Nollen Plaza

(I was in a quandry about what to do about the fact that there were kids here in Des Moines hungry for the kind of stimulus that I was providing every day for my students in Marin Co. public and private schools.)

I was running an errand for Mary Alice (she wanted ice cream) and so on this hot July day, I ran out to find some. I went back home through the downtown area heading toward Nollen Plaza and the bridge to the East side. I thought I heard something that I couldn’t quite identify but it was getting louder as I reached 2nd and Locust……

I couldn’t believe my ears but fortunately, I almost always had a digital camera which enabled me to capture the video you see below. For me, a teacher with a bleeding heart for any kid needing to get his creativity out into the world, what I witnessed was a near-celestial indication of where I needed to put my attention while in DM.

THIS VIDEO IS LOUD. If it’s too loud…you’re too (well, you know the rest..)

Yes indeed, it was LOUD AS HECK!! In Nollen Plaza…on a quiet Sunday afternoon……in July!

You’ll never hear a more obvious cry to “hear me” as I (and the rest of downtown) was privy to that day. As it turned out, this 14-year-old and his father were on their way out of town to a new life in Florida but, as I would discover over the next 8 years, there were many more out there seeking opportunities to create, to learn, to support and be supported.

What I heard that afternoon was the hope of youth bursting through a barrier of concrete and indifference to proclaim itself for the sake of itself. Wobbly like a heavy metal fawn but already focused on intent to somehow tell the story of his g- g- generation.

As a teacher and musician, I was struck at the “brazen vulnerability” this kid exhibited. What a perfect opportunity to…..

…to join in of course.

I just happened to have my bass guitar and small amplifier in the car with me so….

The photos in this series were taken by unhoused individuals using my digital camera. Big thanks to them,

How we escaped a ‘disorderly conduct’ charge is beyond me but I’ll chalk it up destiny. It was 90-degrees that day too. Whew!!

(Mom did get her Ice cream..)

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I may be overdramatizing but I did take that day as a ‘sign’ as to where I should put more of my attention. Beginning in the summer of 2010 until 2013 with the help of

former NHS principal Dr. Vincent Louis,

Matthew Smith, then-current principal of NHS

Kittie Weston-Knauer former administrator

I also acknowledge R. Craig Millhollin for his unsung support and energy

Thanks to the efforts of the folks listed above, I was able to offer my talents to students at North, East and Hoover high Schools as well as Meredith and Harding middle schools.

North and East High students Jamming Summer 2010

2010 East Des Moines students recording their original music

You never really know what magic lies within each of us until you stop, look around and offer something of yourself to those in need of what you have to offer. The most important part of this process is helping students focus their attention on the task at hand.

Next installment:

Music from kids who create from the heart

Music and Lyrics from kids who already question the system (and rightly so)