2006 Horace Mann Award Alumni Recipient - Wayne Greer

As a youngster, Wayne A. Greer knew he wanted to be in a world-class collegiate marching band. A Coca-Cola television commercial was his catalyst. When he watched the aerodynamic movements and inimitable rhythms of Grambling State University's Mighty Tiger Marching Band, Greer had a sharp focus for his future.

The young woodwinds musician worked hard. His goal was clear, as though he could view it through a high-powered telescope. He discovered Grambling State's legendary marching band traveled the world and had played in the half-time show at the very first Super Bowl. Soon Greer was turning down prestigious universities for the chance to enter Grambling State in Louisiana. He realized his dream and played saxophone in the Mighty Tiger Marching Band. He traveled the country and even made back-to-back trips to Japan with the band, thanks to Coca-Cola's sponsorship.

Wayne Greer, alumni recipient of the 2006 Horace Mann Award, shares his story with eager, young band members at T.T. Minor Elementary School, where he is head teacher, in Seattle's Central District.

The Bullpups Are Born

"It's about having pride. It’s also about setting goals and standards for yourself that enhance the group and make it that much better." Four years ago, he formed a school band that has been anything but ordinary. The T.T. Minor Bullpup Marching Band is the only elementary school marching band in Washington. The band of third- through fifth-graders typically numbers about 20 and performs on TV and at events all over the state. The opening of the new City Hall? The Bullpup Marching Band was there. The annual SEAFAIR Parade? The Bullpup band marches in that and a host of other parades, too.

"And we do it Grambling style," Greer says with a grin. "Nothing else looks like it. I teach them how to do high lifts and a high-prance style of marching." 

At the start of each school year, Bullpup Marching Band hopefuls watch a video on the history of African American college and university marching bands. Greer says he wants them to see how hard work in their band can lead to college music scholarships.

He explains the many advantages of a marching band for eight- to 11-year-olds. "They learn to march, play and dance all from memory. It's a self-esteem booster. They learn about responsibility. It's about having pride. It's also about setting goals and standards for yourself that enhance the group and make it that much better."

"Reading music is like learning another language. There's Latin, Italian, math and fractions all wrapped into one," Greer says.

Not Just Any 9-to-5 Joe

"Expectations of classroom teachers in the past are not what they should have been. Somebody has to take up that fight." How he found his way from Grambling to Antioch Seattle and T.T. Minor involves a stint in the Navy on board the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. "When I left the Navy, I just wanted to be a 9-to-5 Joe," he says. Naturally, that never happened. The USS Lincoln's home port of Bremerton brought him within earshot of Antioch Seattle. He was encouraged to consider a teaching career.

He hadn't finished his B.A. at Grambling, though. He became part of the first cohort in the B.A. with Teacher Preparation program at Antioch. As he recollects his two years as an Antioch student, Greer has fond memories of faculty members Anne Maxham, Kamuela Ka'ahanui and Gloria Mitchell, among others.

By summer 2002, Greer completed his degree. Gloria Mitchell, then an adjunct faculty member at Antioch, could see Greer's potential as a teacher. It just so happens Mitchell is also the principal at T.T. Minor Elementary School. She not only persuaded Greer to teach third grade at T.T. Minor, but also charged him with organizing the state's first elementary school marching band.

Greer, a Federal Way father of three, is soft-spoken, yet enormously proud of his band members. "They handle the experience with such style and grace," he says. "And about 60 percent of those who come out of our band program end up in intermediate and advanced band programs when they attend middle school."

He is especially pleased when he thinks of the saxophone player who played in the Bullpup band. The youngster is now in eighth grade and already has the musical skills of an 11th grader. That reinforces Greer's belief that today's schools are all about relationships. "Kids know who cares about them and who doesn't. Their senses are sharp," he says. "Expectations of classroom teachers in the past are not what they should have been. Somebody has to take up that fight."  

"Somebody once said to me, 'Want no less for kids than what you have.' And what I have to give, I bring to them." T.T. Minor is a school that won much attention when millionaire businessman Stuart Sloan chose to adopt it more than seven years ago. Sloan paid for about $1 million worth of programs. This did much to improve education at a school with historically low student achievement, a school where poverty and neglect have been common concerns. Sloan's gift, however, ends this June. 

Raising the Bar for Teachers

Wayne Greer is especially sensitive to the needs of his students. He says he had a strong community and family base when he was growing up. "A lot of people went out of their way to make my schooling a rich experience," says Greer. "Somebody once said to me, 'Want no less for kids than what you have.' And what I have to give, I bring to them. I am the father for most kids here. I am somebody who cares about their everyday needs."  

It is that spirit that won him a statewide honor last year known as the KCTS Golden Apple Award, given to outstanding educators who make a dramatic difference in Washington state. 

Greer graduates this summer from the University of Washington Danforth Educational Leadership Program, which prepares experienced teachers to become K-12 principals and program administrators. In five years' time, he has matured from a third grade teacher to T.T. Minor's head teacher. Now he's ready to become a school principal.

In that same five years, Greer has watched Bullpup Marching Band members apply their disciplined band experience to classroom learning. "If they're not doing their work in the classroom, they can't be in the band. It's a privilege, not a right," he says.   

It takes from about September to May for the band to, as he describes it, "get things in order."  Performance season starts in early May. By spring, he's practically begging the youthful band members to practice. His reward? "There's one rehearsal where it ALL just comes together. I have to turn away because I'm smiling and giggling so much."

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