and welcome back to Tell Me What Happened, the
podcast that features folks from all walks of
life telling us one true childhood story and
how that event, that experience has impacted
who they are today. I'm your host, Jay Rehak,
and anybody who's listened to me knows I've had
my share of childhood experiences. Some of them
were pleasant, a lot of them weren't so great,
and a few were actually traumatic. But in my
life, I've tried to think that everything that's
ever happened to me has made me a better person
and My children to tell you that's absolutely
not true and other some of my friends tell you
the same thing, but that's what I like to think
so Today I have as my guest Katie Todd Katie
is an award -winning elementary school music
educator children's music artist and mother of
two beautiful girls Welcome to the show, Katie
Todd. Hi, Jay. Happy to be here. Well, thank
you so much for coming on the show, Katie. One
of the things that I didn't really mention in
the intro is that you're a member of the Children's
Music Network, I believe. And that's how I know
you or know of you through people that my wife,
who is also a children's musician, knows. And
so I was connected to you. Via a friend of ours
mutual friend of ours by the name of Jane Arsham.
So I thank her for Introducing me to you and
I look forward to hearing your story So are you
ready to tell it? I'm ready All right, Katie.
I'm gonna mute myself. Take it away Katie Todd
So my full name is Katherine. And every time
I walked into a classroom, our teacher would
start by reading through the roster and saying,
so -and -so's here. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Is this your name? And so every year, they'd
say, Katherine cries. And I would say, I actually
go by Katie. But in second grade, for some reason,
for the first time, I decided, no, I'm not going
to correct my teacher. No one calls me Katherine.
But this once, I'm going to go by Catherine.
That's how second grade is going to be. And so
all of second grade, everybody called me Catherine.
Mr. White was my teacher, and he was a young
teacher. I think it was his fourth year of teaching,
but he was exceptional. And not because I was
the best at spelling or that I knew every single
state and capital, although he did make sure
I knew those things. It was because he cared
about every single student in a unique way and
made sure that when we were at school, we enjoyed
being there. It wasn't that we just had to sit
still or learn how to follow the rules or make
sure that we always got an A on every paper.
It was that we were valuable simply for being
in the classroom with him and with all of our
classmates. I distinctly remember being in the
hallway on a bathroom break. And it's a bathroom
break you're just supposed to stand there you're
in second grade wait your turn when you're done
you wait until everyone else is done and we all
go back in the classroom but it wasn't just a
bathroom break. Mr. White made it a roller coaster
ride. Literally. We would all be in our line,
and then he would stand at the front of the line,
and we'd all be on an imaginary roller coaster,
and we'd lean this way, and we'd lean this way,
and we'd have to silently scream as we pretended
to go down the hill. And it was the best thing
to do while you were just waiting for everyone
to get their drink and go to the bathroom. It
was so much better than telling everyone to be
quiet or playing the quiet game. It was interactive.
It was fun. It was using your imagination. And
it... made second grade so memorable. He made
us all feel special. And because of that, I was
so significantly impacted. And that's my story.
Well, I was a school teacher for 1 ,000 years,
actually 36. And so I always like to hear stories
of teachers who impacted young people. So how
do you think, Katie, or should I call you Catherine,
how do you think? That second grade experience
has impacted who you are today. So I will say,
I went on to have a third grade teacher that
was excellent and a fourth grade teacher was
excellent. And in our district, that one building
housed second, third and fourth grade. And when
I left the building after fourth grade, I knew
in my mind, I always wanted to come back. Like
that was just the best place to be. So I was
going to be a teacher. I was going to be an elementary
school teacher, and I stayed in touch with Mr.
White. And in high school, I said, hey, Mr. White,
he was teaching fourth grade by that point. Can
I come observe you teach just to confirm this
is what I want to do? And I went and I observed
him teaching and I left that classroom after
observing and said, oh my gosh, this is not what
I want to do. I do not want to have to memorize
historical facts. I do not want to teach your
kid how to do math. I do not want to have to
check spelling papers all day. This is not what
I want to do, but it is where I want to be. and
I was in choir and I was in band and I'd always
enjoyed music. So I thought, okay, so I need
to pivot. I will be in elementary, but I'm going
to do it with music because I can use music to
make the kids feel as valued as Mr. White did
when I was in his class. But not only can I do
it for one class, I can do it for a whole school
of kids and see them for years. So I went to
school. I got my music education degree. I got
my master's in music education. And I was so
excited. I got my first job at an inner city
school in Wichita. And I was thrilled. I got
to know all the kids. I got to teach them how
to sing, how to play, how to have musical experiences
that they would never forget. And then my second
year of teaching, I'd already told my principal
at this school, hey, I'm committed to next year.
I have no plans to leave. And then who calls
but Mr. White? and he is now a principal. And
he said, hey, just so you know, I have an opening
in my district and I think you need to come work
here. To which I immediately said, yes, tell
me more. And then he said, it's a traveling job
where you get to go to four different elementary
schools every single day and teach music. I said,
oh, actually, I get to stay in one building right
now. and know all of my kids and all of the staff,
and it is much easier. That does not sound like
the job that I want." And he said, well, it won't
last forever. I said, how long will it last?
He said, I don't know, but you should just take
my word for it. Just come back. I said, okay.
So I spent three years traveling every day between
four different schools and taught and got to
know the staff at all of those buildings. And
even though it wasn't easy, Having to get to
know four different sets of staff and all of
the kids and also being very unknown because
you're not really a part of any community building
was not easy. But at just the right time, I got
the call from Mr. White and he said, the permanent
teacher, so that I was a traveler, I would cover
like two classes where there was another teacher
who covered all the classes all day that were
left. I just had to do the filler job. Well,
the teacher at his school was retiring and would
I like the job? And the timing was crazy because
I was literally a week away from having my first
child. And so I thought about it for just a split
second and I said, I may go into labor because
of all of this, but yes, I will take this job.
Let me have my baby first and then I'm going
to come back. And now I get to teach in the school
where I attended second, third, and fourth grade
and fell in love with elementary school for the
principal who was my second grade teacher. And
I still get to watch him impact kids every day.
And I get to impact kids every day. and the joy
and the freedom and the feeling of being valued
that he as a principal can share with his staff
and feed to the kids and allows me to give to
the kids is just beyond measure. It is a joy
to come to work every day. And sure, there's
hard days. I mean, no job is perfect. But when
I get to come here and do what I love with people
who I know support me, who have known me since
I was eight years old, it's just incredible.
Wow. I really don't know too many people who
have that type of experience where they go back
somehow, you know, there's the old line, you
can't go home again. The idea that somehow if
you return to your original place, it won't be
good enough or something, there'll be some...
you know, some sadness, but it sounds like you
actually circled back and you absolutely sound
joyous in your position right now. And it sounds
like you're really happy with what you do, which
is, I won't say it's rare, but not a lot of people
have that energy, I would say, with their employment.
I wish it were so. I enjoyed being a teacher
in my life, but I didn't go back to my... my
school to do it, but that's wonderful that you
were able to do that and you're still connected
to Mr. White. Is he in any way connected in your
life and on the other way? Did you name many
of your kids after him or anything like that?
No, I didn't, but he does know them very well
and they come and talk to him in the mornings
and he's very much aware of our personal life
and our work life and is always supportive. He
is a principal who puts family first, which We
all as a staff really appreciate and it motivates
us to be here and do our jobs and also to take
care of ourselves. So we're the best selves for
the kids that we need to teach and take care
of. Fantastic. Well, do your children go to that
school or are they not old enough yet? I have
a first grader and she goes to the school across
the street. OK, so she gets to be here with me
in the morning and my staff knows her and I bring
her back over in the afternoons. So they do know
her, but she does go to a different school. All
right. Well, listen, I really like the story
because it's a happy one and I usually don't
get happy stories to be honest with you Most
of my most of my guests tell me some trauma and
yours is actually impactful But in a positive
way I was I'm flashing back to my own second
grade experience with Sister Mary Jane France
is telling us to be very quiet in the hallways
and you know going to the bathroom You couldn't
even make sounds during that time and this kid
mr. White with the roller coaster trying to keep
you entertained that is pretty Brilliant, and
I can see where it could be In a way something
that you would carry with you the rest of your
life and say I want to be like that So that's
hats off to Mr. White. Yes, absolutely. Well,
thank you for being on the show, Katie. Thank
you so much for having me. It was a treat. All
right. Well, that's our show. Katie Todd, thank
you for the happy story. Inspirational. I still
kind of want to give a special shout out to Mr.
White because it seems that you have somehow
magically found a way to be happy in your job
at the same time. inspiring other people, which
is a wonderful thing. And I think that has to
be, to some extent, a consequence of a good second
grade teacher. Thank you, Katie, for what you're
doing. You're welcome. I'm going to end this
show a little differently, folks. Usually I end
with my theme song. This time, we're going to
change it up a little bit. We're going to end
with the Katie Todd original. So until next time,
this is Jay Rehack asking you all to please stay
safe out there and try not to hurt anybody. Tickety,
tickety, tickety, tickety wanted to be free.
Tickety, tickety, tickety, tickety couldn't wait
to see what's outside the shell that seems to
be surrounding me. Said the tickety, tickety.
Tickety, tickety, tickety, tickety hatched a
plan. Was it big or small? It was so small. Hmm.
Chickadee, chickadee, chickadee, chickadee, thought
it would be bigger. Chickadee, chickadee, chickadee,
chickadee, more than just a sliver. I worked
so hard, I did my best, why didn't it deliver
more? Chickadee, chickadee, you got this, she
wins. Scratch, scratch, scratch. Until she...
Scratch, scratch, scratch.