I am a Teacher

Who is Daniel Shorb the Teacher?

I am a teacher. I have always wanted to teach. I taught imaginary students when I was a kid. I gave them names, and maintained a grade book. I taught music lessons at a music store when I was in high school. I taught a seminary class in music theory when I was an undergraduate college student. In the 16 years I taught at a Christian liberal arts college, I taught an average of 20+ semester hours of classes per semester, significantly more than a full-time load. I think I finally threw away my curriculum vitae, but I taught at least 20 different courses in music. I taught hundreds of private lessons in piano and organ, and nurtured 28 music majors and minors through their senior recital. I taught Brass and Percussion Ensemble, and I taught Symphonic Band. I loved college teaching, but I worked myself almost to death. I attended every recital at the college. I still have the programs from 163 of them. I performed or directed in many of them. Most recitalists were students in my classes. When I was appointed department head, I opened every recital with prayer, and presided at the conclusion when acknowledgements were given. I could not be absent. There were not very many Friday or Saturday nights when I was free.

The last five years of my teaching career, I taught Music Appreciation to non-music majors at a prestigious private college. With almost 20 years between the two music classroom teaching stints, I had to learn new methods of teaching. I went from drop-the-needle to play-the-video. I taught with videos every single day. And I had to learn to use Compass (online everything) instead of handouts, paper tests, and grade books. But that was the happiest teaching experience of my life. I had freedom to teach what I wanted to teach, the way I wanted to teach it. I was never once evaluated (except by the students) or accosted by an administrator. I taught a couple semesters before I even met my department head face-to-face. The students called me Professor Shorb. It was a fabulous way to end my classroom teaching career. 

I mentally teach constantly. When I wash my hands, fold clothes, shake seasoning on my food, or mow the lawn—in my mind I’m teaching my grandchildren or someone else how to do it. When I’m at the grocery store, I’m teaching how to shop more easily, effectively, and cheaply. I try to teach my spouse how to organize the kitchen cabinets. In my imagination, I’ve even taught J.S. Bach about the music of today. I can teach you how to stack bales of hay, or how to pin cloth diapers on a baby. I volunteered to teach my granddaughter how to drive. Ironically, I can do nothing mechanically. Rather than teach you how to take something apart and fix it, you must teach me.

So I’m now retired from college music teaching. I miss my students. I really loved the classroom. When I started my first college teaching job at age 22, I fully expected to work there the rest of my life. I discovered way too late that I couldn’t support my family, so I moved into full-time church music.