It takes collaborative effort to teach high school music
It was nearing the end of summer and the beginning of another school year when Mead’s hired band and choir teacher quit. With it being so close to the school year starting, principal Darin Kovar started to fret.
“Just a little bit of panic about what we were going to do, and fearful that we would not have anyone apply for the position.” Kovar said. Mead found a “last minute replacement” in July.
Mead hired Jeffery Ingraham, but “I certainly wasn’t looking for it,” Ingraham said. “But I’m glad to be here, fantastic kids.”
Ingraham found this job due to a previous connection with elementary music teacher Tracey Munter.
“I accepted (the job) to kind of help out Mrs. Munter,” Ingraham said. “That is actually the bottom line of how I got here.”
Ingraham has a past that involved many different versions of music. Whether it was conducting or performing, Ingraham did it all. Although he has a history of music, “technology has been my gig for the last 40 years,” Ingraham said.
Ingraham flies drones professionally through his own company called Omni Flight Drone Services. He also runs the drone Soccer station of the VR Stations during STEM Nights
Ingraham is the “Chief Officer for an educational non-profit called Prairie STEM.” He has taught STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) for the past eight years in classrooms around the Omaha area.
“We (Staff at Prairie STEM) are at about 10 other schools, and I teach most Mondays at law school in Omaha,” Ingraham said. This prevents Ingraham from teaching at Mead on Mondays.
So Kovar had to figure out another plan for who can fill those vacancies on Mondays.
“Mr. Hickman and I met with Mr. Ingraham and Mrs. Munter to come up with a schedule that we felt was best for students,” Kovar said. “Those teachers all touch base on Fridays to determine what is going to be covered on the following Monday.”
Another teacher at Mead has a history in music. Holly Miller, the 7-12 science teacher, went to college and acquired her degree in K-12 vocal music education prior to becoming the science teacher at Mead.
Miller helps Ingraham by teaching high school band on Mondays. “It's fun to step back into that world, even just a little bit,” Miller said.
Along with Miller, Munter and elementary para Pam Van Norman help Ingraham with teaching different groups different forms of music on Mondays. Van Norman covers grades 7-8 general music while Miller covers high band eighth period.
Kovar and Ingraham are proud of how this situation was handled.
“I am very grateful for the staff members who are teaching the classes while I'm gone on Monday and for the administration that let me have a flexible schedule so I can still do my Prairie stem work,” Ingraham said.
Many staff members worked to make this situation have the best possible solution for the students’ benefit.
“I am just very proud of how we were able to take a difficult situation, and make it work the best way possible,” Kovar said. “Mrs. Munter, Mr. Hickman, myself, Mrs. Miller and Mrs. Van Norman put in a lot of time before school started, to come up with a schedule that could work. That's what we do at Mead; we all work together to make things work!”
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