May 21, 2010.  Fifth grade graduation was right around the corner.  The last performance of the school year was this night.  Everything happened in a whirlwind of events starting with this. This was to be the last performance before the stage retired for the summer.  

Many emotions swirled in my head.  The stage was set for us to perform.  Every year since first grade, I had performed on this stage in the gymnasium.  Seeing it empty and quiet brought back memories.  At this moment I said goodbye to my elementary, Indian Hill.  My childhood then stood in the past.  The stage, dark and open, began to lighten bringing much light to the gym.  One by one the gymnasium lights clicked on revealing empty fold-out chairs.  The gym roared to life with the sounds of the air conditioning.  My music teacher, Mrs. Schultz, strode in seeing me standing there.

“Hello,” she said.

“Hi,” I replied.

We conversed about preparation and greetings.  She asked me to help pass out the paper programs at the double-door entrance.  Family and friends started flowing in along with the students performing.  This wing of the school became packed with people.  The air filled with excitement and voices and the quiet atmosphere did not last long.  People filed in and sat in the vacant chairs.  My parents, along with other adults, made small talk while waiting for the performance to start.  The students split off into the music room to warm up and for attendance.

The music room rapidly crowded with soon to be middle schoolers.  All of us were dressed in black pants and our colored shirts: maroon, green, and blue.  Each class had their own color and my class color was green.  The students in the music room sought out Mrs. Schultz to ask her what she needed help with.  Some people made sure the lights, sound, and props still worked and some people made greetings.  About ten minutes before the show started, she rounded all of us up to get ready.  She gave us a pep talk to keep our energies high.  Happiness flowed through the room.  Ready, we took our places on the stage.
Behind the curtain, the spotlights shined.  All grew quiet as Mrs. Smith, the principal, traveled across the stage.  She made opening remarks about how hard we worked on this. She left the audience with the words, ¨Enjoy the show!¨ 
Swiftly, the curtains flew open, creating a huge gust of wind to reveal a packed house of friends and family.  Together, all three classes sang the first song to set the mood.  Then came each class’ radio skit.  Since our show was titled ¨The Radio Show,¨ we treated it like an old radio show where all of the imagination and imagery came from sound effects and dialect.  My class went first.  Our skit told the story of a criminal mystery.  The rolling cart of props made the radio show more realistic in sound.  Luckily, nothing went awry during our skit and following came another song.  Between the songs cued lines filled the hollow spaces of inactivity on the stage.  The three classes performed their own skits as the time for the end drew near.  In every fifth grade production that Mrs. Schultz had directed, the song “Teach Me Well” was always incorporated somehow.  Tears of joy streamed from parent’s eyes as the song played.

Teachers and parents and governments and schools
Please take me seriously, give me tools
My young heart believes what you tell
So teach me
Teach me well

During the song, we took a rose from our teachers to give to our parents. We wandered to our places around the gym where we continued singing.  Emotions flowed from every person in the room.  I looked to my right and saw a girl from my class, KK, Kennedy, crying as  her friend supported her.  During rehearsals I did not think about how heartfelt this moment would be.  I always focused on the next transition, but in that moment I could only think of all the memories associated with Indian Hill.  I knew then that everything that happened to me so far had prepared me for the next journey in my life.

To this day I still remember that song and what happened when we sang it.  Whenever I think of it, I remember Mrs. Schultz and all that she did for me.  After five years of having her as my teacher and going through middle school, I finally realize how much she meant to me.  She was the one person who sparked my love of music and the arts.  I do not regret quitting dance for Drama Club and Harmonizers (choir) because it just meant receiving more instruction from her.  Mrs. Schultz  loved her job and that's what made me love her as a teacher.  The fifth grade musical was our end of year test.  She put all of her time and effort into this and all the other grade levels instead of giving us written exams.  The opportunities she gave us helped us to discover our potential and beyond.  I found an appreciation for music through her that is still fueled today.