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Teachers
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| Mr. Dennis Smith |
| Band |
My name is Dennis Smith. I am starting my fourth year at St. Patrick School teaching instrumental music to fifth through eighth grade students. My place of worship is St. Stephen the Witness Catholic Student Center although I do attend mass at St. Patrick's occasionally. I have lived in the parish for twenty-five years.
I earned my Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from the University of Northern Iowa in 1959 and entered the teaching profession in the fall of that year. I was drafted in the military in 1960 and completed a two year stint with the 323rd Army band near San Antonio, Texas. Upon release from the Army I returned to teaching and have been a music educator ever since. In 1967 I was offered a position on the faculty of Upper Iowa University and taught at the Fayette campus for ten years. In 1977 I returned to public education in the Waterloo Public Schools, eaching instrumental music there for 26 years. During my long career, I was fortunate to be able to continue studies at the graduate level, earning my Master of Arts degree in musical composition from the University of Northern Iowa and a Master of Fine Arts degree (also in musical composition) from the University of Iowa in Iowa City.
In 2002, a dear friend and neighbor told me that St. Pat's was looking for a part time band teacher and strongly encouraged me to apply. I did, was hired and "I haven't looked back since" as the old maxim has it. I use that old saying in all seriousness because my experience at St. Patrick School has been, and continues to be, thoroughly rewarding. I consider myself blessed to work with dedicated, professional colleagues in an environment filled with friendliness, joy, and peaceful collaboration.
This was made especially evident to me in the fall of 2005. I was considerably incapacitated after falling from a ladder during the summer. At the end of October I was ready to return to teaching even though still confined to a wheelchair. School personnel volunteered to pick me up and transport me to school. This entailed assisting me into and out of their car, loading and unloading and helping me into my wheelchair at school and on return to my home. This was always accomplished with a sense of helpfulness and joy. |
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