After nearly 30 years in higher education, a music education professor returned as a full-time general music teacher in an urban elementary school as a sabbatical project. This article chronicles the experience of getting hired, preparation, orientation, the first months of teaching, and, ultimately, a layoff. Throughout the narrative, the perspective of an older professional is contrasted with the memory of entry-level teaching some 30 years earlier. Points of discussion include social and educational climate of the times, student behavior, curriculum, undergraduate methods classes, and preservice music teacher preparation.
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