For a great many years, I played guitar (poorly) and sang (marginally well) in a cover band called The Facultones. It was primarily made up of a group of teachers from the high school I worked at and we played parties and Christmas celebrations and student activities and graduation parties and all kinds of things.
It was an absolute kick in the pants. I loved almost every minute of playing in this band. I got to know more colleagues incredibly well. I got to make music with people far more talented than I. I got to experience the synergy of doing something together. I loved the decades I spent in this band.
Later, I wrote a fictional history of the group (very fictional) and self published it through amazon. Believe it or not, last I checked, it was on DEEP discount there!
The camaraderie and the fun of The Facultones influenced me as a young teacher and the memories of the fun and camaraderie sustain me as a veteran educator.
Find yourself a group like The Facultones.
We never know the influence we have… While culture tends to promulgate the “those who can, do, those who cannot, teach” idiocy, there are hundreds of examples of brilliance and impactful teachers in reality and in pop culture. Every-other-week this year, I will share my brief reflections on Smart People Doing Smart Things be they in literature, in film, in music or in real life. Many will be teachers, but not all. Many will be fictional, but some will be real. All will be inspiring. Welcome to IntelliPop!
