Neighborhood Stories - Roberts, Montana: A Montana Boy and Girl in the World...In Roberts, Montana

By Larry Brasen Sr.

In this volume Larry describes how after a hiatus from teaching in the Public Schools of Montana and the USVI, he is coaxed into re-entering the world of Public School Music Education by a friend named Ron Marshall, Superintendent of Public Schools in Roberts, Montana. In this school of about 150 students, K - 12, Larry is allowed a great deal of freedom to teach in his own style and even invent some of his own classes. You will see that the students in this situation profit from the positive influence he brings to bear on each student with which he comes into contact. In a school that size with a Positive Supervisor that has the relative freedom to allow his staff to innovate, wonderful results can be expected.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dry Heat Publishing, LLC
• Release date: Apr 22, 2021
• ISBN: 9781736854846

Book preview

Roberts All School Centennial

Background:

After retiring from teaching in 1969 at the age of forty nine, I spent ten years building our AMWAY business. Spending a monstrous amount of time on the road, helping my distributors in any way I could, I became a little disillusioned with the business in general. I started thinking of what it had been like to teach music in the public educational systems in Montana and the United States Virgin Islands. As in the Amway business, I touched a lot of lives in a positive way in the music teaching business. That had been true of students and adults alike. It was into this shifting attitude that I received a call from my friend, Ron Marshall, the Superintendent of the public schools in Roberts, Montana.

Our conversation:

Ron: Larry, I know that you are busy building the Amway business, but I decided to give you a call anyway. Our present music instructor is leaving at the end of this school year and we will have a vacancy for a full time music man here for next year. Have you ever thought about going back into education? Your positive attitude that you’ve learned building your Amway business would be just what these kids and this community needs.

Me: Wow, Ron. I’m amazed you would think of me. I have on occasion thought about the times I’ve had building music programs in the past. But I don’t think I’m really your man for this job. Besides, I’ve let my certification lapse.

Ron: Well, let me tell you that as far as your certification goes, I can get that taken care of in one phone call. Tell you what! Why don’t you come over this Wednesday, and see the kids, we can chat, and I’ll buy you one of the best school lunches money can buy.

Me: How can I turn that down. What time should I get there?

That was the beginning of five of the best years of teaching I ever spent. When you put together an incredible staff, incredible families, incredible kids, incredible administration, and incredible school board what do you expect? Here is a short description of what happened that next Wednesday.

The Interview:

I drove up to the school, ten miles on a dirt road from where I lived at the time in Bridger, Montana. Parked the car, got out, walked up to the front door and walked inside. Ron’s office was to my right behind the office desk. Donna, the secretary, asked if she could help. I said I was there to chat a little with my friend Ron. By this time, Ron was up out of his chair and out into the outer office shaking hands and introducing me to Donna Tande, the secretary. He invited me in to his office and we got comfortable chatting about old times in the Amway business. (He had been one of our distributors at one time) About that time the outside door opened and who should appear at the front desk but a farmer/rancher dressed in his work clothes who came right past the front desk and into the office. Ron said, Larry, let me introduce you to the chairman of the school board here, Mr. Joe Niemi. The three of us sat and visited a while and then Mr. Niemi excused himself saying, I’ve got to be going. Awful nice to meet you Larry and I hope we can expect to see a lot more of you starting next school year.

The Band Class:

Ron said, The Band Class is about to start up. Let’s go in and watch them for a while. I think you’ll like what you see.

Band class was held in the cafeteria right next to the office. We had heard them warming up and when they started playing we stepped into the area. I was immediately struck by the fresh scrubbed, country look of all the kids. No purple hair and no visible tattoos. There was a balanced instrumentation, including a Tuba, which a lot of small schools had trouble getting anyone to play. The director recognized me from the many school bands I had