Teacher Feature: Karen Stafford

• Karen Stafford
• Posted 11/5/21
• 0 comments

Get to know our authors. In our  ”Teacher Feature,”  you will not only learn about our contributors’ professional endeavors but also get to know them as  humans  too.  Just like our readers – our authors are actively teaching in schools across the United States. 

My name is Karen Stafford, and I recently retired from public school teaching after 25 years in the Washington School District, with 30 years total in music education. At Washington, I conducted children’s choirs, Orff ensembles, and recorder consorts, utilizing my certifications in Orff and Kodály. I received my Ph.D. from the University of Kansas in 2019. Currently, I am keeping busy as music director for Zion United Church of Christ, as a seller on Teachers Pay Teachers, and as an adjunct for Central Methodist University. My professional writing contributions have included 6 articles for the Orff Echo and 10 articles for the Missouri School Music Magazine (part of my responsibilities when I was Elementary Vice President and General Music Vice President for Missouri Music Educators Association). I have presented clinics and workshops on the national, regional, state, and local levels.

Some interesting facts we learned about Karen…

How did you end up becoming a music teacher? 

I think I was the biggest band geek in my tiny little school in the heart of Missouri. Three of us went to music camp at what is now the University of Central Missouri, and that’s when I knew I’d be a band director. It was my niche. I was a band director for a couple of years. Well, life changes steered that direction a little differently, and for the best! I loved working in general music and still keep my heart in it.

Did a teacher influence your decision to enter education?

I would say my band director and my history teacher. My band director for giving me every possible opportunity available to me in our rural region (including free private flute lesson!). My history teacher has always been my ideal teacher: firm and strict, but loving. I graduated 42 years ago, and in the few times I’ve seen her, she still knows me.

What inspires you to share your experiences with other teachers?

There is a joy in helping children get that a-ha moment in music that eclipses all the assessments in the world. We are teachers in one of the few disciplines who can “play” while teaching, with children “playing” while they are learning life skills and an outlet on life. I want other teachers to feel that joy, despite whatever else is going on.

What is your favorite music teaching moment?

Just one? Well, in general, I love the kids’ eyes in the “a-ha” moment. I LOVED guiding the students who normally didn’t stand out academically or athletically and seeing the joy in their faces when they discovered that they, too, could shine. I loved working with my students from self-contained classrooms. And I loved discovery beyond what I taught them. As one of my sixth graders said, “Mrs. Stafford, I know what music is! It’s sound with a purpose.” (That boy is now a man majoring in music education!)

What has been the biggest surprise/revelation about being a music teacher?

Truth be told, it’s discovering that the “clowns” and “mischief-makers” in my classes made for some of the best improvisors in instruments, movement, and our performances. That revelation made me rethink my classroom management.

How do you deal with stress?

C-H-O-C-O-L-A-T-E. Dark. With sea salt and almonds. If I had to be healthy…….I pray, breathe, meditate (I love the Calm app). I do yoga and took up swimming a year ago. I sit in the church sanctuary and play piano, or practice my flute or recorder. Sometimes I pick up an instrument with which I’m not adept and work on technique. And I just took up crocheting as well. I love evenings with my hooks, yarn, and crazy comedy like M*A*S*H or The Office. Streaming services are a godsend.

Fun Facts About You?

What is your favorite food?

I can’t limit that! But if I had to, the chocolate, chicken and dumplings, or pickled beets. My mom use to can pickled beets, and it’s a fond memory. Ask me again tomorrow, and it will be something different.

Do you have any pets? Tell us about them.

My current pets are Honey and Lenore, both shelter pets. My daughter used to work for our county Humane Society and brought these babies into my husband’s and my life. Honey is part beagle and part I don’t know. When she arrived at the shelter, she was 2, with puppies, scared and dirty. She had been adopted once a returned a few days later for digging under a shed. She was so scared she would only stay under the receptionist’s desk. Her pups had been adopted out. Sarah, our daughter, wanted us to come look at her. (We had lost another dog a couple of years prior to this.) I went alone and wasn’t sure. My husband went the next day and said, “Yes,” thankfully. It took a while, but now she plays with her kitty sister, gallops like a horse when it’s time to go out, and is the sweetest thing ever, with the best disposition.

Sarah was fostering Lenore because the kitty had been brought in when she was really too young to have been weaned. She has one blind eye and had some breathing problems. One day, Sarah brought Lenore to our house. Honey and Lenore were instant buddies! When it was time for her to be adopted, it was October, and my husband was nervous because she was a black cat. I was working in a post-retirement position I had to leave after 10 weeks because it was highly stressful and was impacting my health. On my last day, I came home and found my husband had adopted her. Like my husband says, “Lenore is a good kitty….when she sleeps.” She’s almost two, with the craziest set of zoomies ever! She is a precious lap cat and loves to lie on my crochet products while I’m working on them.

What is your favorite style of music to listen to?

I’m trained in classical, but it does depend on my mood. I love listening to lute music or flute when I need to relax. But……..who am I kidding? Classic 70s rock! You can take the kid out of high school, but sometimes you can’t take the high school out of the kid.

What is your favorite school appropriate beverage – are you a cola or coffee drinker?

Waaay too much coffee.

What is your favorite book?

I read so many. I’m in a retired teachers’ book club. I’ve always liked John Grisham. I like biographies (with Rainn Wilson’s memoir next on my list). I also like historical novels and inspirational books.

If you could be a superhero, who would you be and why?

Why, Wonder Woman, of course! I like her power and independence.

We hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know Karen! Check out her Music ConstructED articles below.