A Few More Thank You's
After Last Thursday's "Region 8 Arts Educator of the Year" Award
An Unexpected Blessing
Last Thursday, Sarah and I attended the annual Northeast Louisiana Arts Council Awards dinner because I was nominated for the Region 8 Arts Educator of the Year Award that the Arts Council established this year. Region 8 covers our parish and ten other surrounding Louisiana parishes. My long-time friend, Melissa Keaster, kindly nominated me. We went to school together and even taught together for a year at Geneva. Now I teach her children in music classes and choir. I am honored that she would nominate me. There were ten nominees in our category, including my co-teacher at Geneva Academy, Bethany Wilkins. Bethany is our art instructor and one of my biggest cheerleaders. As far as I’m concerned, she’s my co-recipient of this award.
Also nominated was a fellow colleague, and well-deserving choir director and music educator, Lea Sheppard. Laura Arrington, whose son I went to school at ULM with, was also nominated. She’s been working faithfully teaching music in the area of years and is well-deserving of this recognition. Other arts educators were nominated whose bios were very impressive as they read them and called us up there to receive recognition.
The whole evening was an honor and joy to attend. Thank you to Barry Stevens, Abigail Handy-Berry, and the board at the Arts Council for a memorable evening.
Some Additional Thank You’s
After presenting me with the award, Barry Stevens asked if I wanted to say anything. I tried to rattle off a few thank yous that evening. I realize now that I left off some important people. First, I’m very thankful for my lovely wife, Sarah. (Forget “better half,” and she is my “better three quarters!”) Her support and encouragement are neverending in all my musical endeavors.
Also, I am aware that not just any school or administration would put up with this quirky red-headed music teacher. But Geneva Academy, and notably Edwin Lang, my boss and close friend, has given me much room to train young people to be joyful and musically literate all their days for the fourteen years I have been teaching music and choir there. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my other music co-teacher, Sarah Davis. Sarah has brought organization and thoughtful pedagogy to our elementary Kodály music classes. She is steady as they come and an absolute joy to teach music alongside.
Final Words
When I first saw my father-in-law after my own father passed away in January, he hugged me and said, “God is good all the time. And All the time God is good.” I have seen his goodness in these trying few months. He has lavished grace and mercy upon my family in so many ways in the aftermath of his death. Then as if that’s not enough, this unexpected award is just the latest thing I can point to as evidence of how good is our God. As I said Thursday night to the audience, “I don’t feel very deserving of this, but thank you, just the same.”