Singing and Songwriting
I taught 7th-grade mathematics for one year at Murchison Middle School in Austin, Texas.
Allow me to sum up my experience with teaching middle school with an excerpt from one of my songs:

"Some days I just survive a little joy and a lot of pain,
But with fire in my eyes the artist does remain."
(from the song If It's Not Art, then I'm Through by Dale Barnard, Copyright © 1997)

After resting from the teaching profession for a few years now, I feel little urge to return to full-time teaching. The school system requires far too much from teachers and rewards the great ones far too little. It would take me several years to become a good teacher, and many more to become a great one. I think that my life's experiences will better lie in writing and singing than school teaching. Now, the only trick is to figure out how to make money in the short term.

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