For over 34 years, Chorus Teacher Shirley Allen has dedicated herself to helping students in the Michigan City area develop not only as musicians but also as people. Allen, who has been teaching at Krueger Middle School for the past 10 years, loves what she does and does not plan to stop anytime soon.
“People say to me ‘You can retire now, why don't you?’” Allen said. “It's not time. There's too much I have to do. My job as a teacher is to raise people up, so I need to help my students find out who they really are and help them feel good about themselves.”
Allen’s music career started when she began participating in the children’s choir at her church. However, it wasn’t until she started taking piano lessons in fourth grade that she learned of her high aptitude for music. When she began attending middle school, Allen’s chorus teacher recognized her talent and helped her continue to hone her skills.
Allen went on to attend Rogers High School, which is known today as Michigan City High School. Her high school chorus teacher Dale Trueax saw that she was a talented pianist and singer and took her under his wing. Not only was he an encouraging music instructor, but he also served as a much-needed father figure for Allen during this period of her life. She was especially honored when Trueax gave her an award for outstanding musicianship at her senior banquet.
Upon graduating from high school, Allen decided to major in business and minor in music at Huntington University, considering this to be a practical combination of subjects. However, after spending a semester in the business program, Allen decided it wasn’t for her and declared a major in music education instead. During one of her spring semesters, Allen returned to Rogers to do an undergraduate practicum alongside Trueax. After graduating from Huntington, Allen began studying for her master’s degree in education at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois.
Allen returned to the Michigan City area in 1989 to work as a music teacher, traveling among the district’s 14 elementary schools and instructing students ranging from kindergarten to fifth grade. After spending several years as an elementary music teacher, Allen was asked to step in as the chorale instructor at Kreuger and Barker Middle Schools. Although she accepted the position, Allen had mixed feelings about this new development.
“I loved teaching elementary music and it came easy to me,” said Allen. “I worked with the kids from the time they were in kindergarten to when they were in fifth grade and I got to know them and their brothers and sisters. I wasn't like other teachers who were yearning to teach junior high or senior high music. My first couple years of middle school were rough. However, once I listened to their stories, I was able to get rid of my biases and learn to understand them. Now, I love teaching middle school music.”
In Allen’s view, teaching should involve a give-and-take between the teacher and students. She demonstrates this aspect of her teaching philosophy in her approach to classroom instruction.
“I don’t stand in front of the class and say, ‘I've got it all together, and I'm going to teach you what I know,’” Allen said. “I'm not that way. I learn as much from the kids as I hope they are learning from me. I think all learning should be collaborative in a way that’s appropriate for the subject area. Sometimes there's so much work to do that I will have my students do it. I don’t do it because I’m lazy but because I want to empower them to show responsibility.”
Allen has also impressed upon her students the importance of getting involved in the community. Over the years, her choirs have performed at local events sponsored by organizations like the Lubeznik Center for the Arts and the Service League of Michigan City. Allen hopes her students will learn important life lessons through their participation in events such as these.
“Whether we have visitors come to the school or we go out into the community, we are ambassadors for Krueger Middle School,” Allen said. “I teach my students what it means to be an ambassador and encourage them to broaden their horizons by thinking about somebody else besides themselves and doing something kind or generous for others.”
Allen relaxes by either swimming, hiking, cycling, or reading. A self-proclaimed foodie, she greatly enjoys cooking and has recently become something of a tea connoisseur. This year, Allen is making a renewed effort to remain in a place of mental peace by keeping stress and anxiety at bay. She is looking forward to the middle school choir’s upcoming events such as their Spring concert on May 2, a long-anticipated singing competition in Illinois, and a trip to Six Flags Great America.