Local teachers recharge with extra credit gigs over the summer

You might have caught that spectacular teacher trick shot audition on “America’s Got Talent.” With throwing accuracy which rivaled that of Patrick Mahomes, Georgia physical education instructor Amanda Badertscher launched footballs into a target from increasingly long distances. Her after-hours gig left the AGT judges stunned and earned thunderous applause from the studio audience.

Teachers are masters of many skills.

When that last bell of the school year sounds, some educators are delighted to bask in the freedom and solace of a well-earned summer recharge, but others dive into extra-credit projects, working through the hotter months as tutors, curriculum developers or camp assistants. A quick search of the internet revealed a number of instructors who moonlight as pet sitters, Etsy sellers or DoorDash drivers to make a few extra bucks.

When I was asked to track down a few Spokane-area teachers who would chat about their summer side hustles, like that kid in the back of a classroom hollering, ‘Ooh, ooh, ooh,’ I eagerly accepted the challenge. My quest for interviews came up flatter than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich at the bottom of a school backpack. I was prepared to take a permanent recess from the hunt when I received an email from Ty Brown.

A history teacher at West Valley High School, Brown is living proof the rewards of a satisfying side hustle are not always measured in dollars and cents. Each spring, after those yearbooks are distributed, Brown swings into action tending the greens at Wandermere Golf Course. It is a business his family has owned and operated for over 95 years.

“If I could, I’d happily be a greenskeeper year-round. There’s something magical about those early mornings on the course before anyone else arrives,” Brown wrote.

An author who has penned multiple history books about the Little Spokane River area, Brown also uses his summer break to research, conduct interviews and write.

“This side hustle has allowed me to build meaningful relationships within the community and deepen my understanding of our local region,” he wrote.

I felt like a first-grader who had just discovered scented markers.

Elated by my visit with Brown, I reached out to Roy Jackson, who owns Learn to Burn School of Music. It is a business he operates with drum teacher Gabe Burdett.

Jackson’s lifelong passion for guitars was fueled by fictional television character Tommy Bradford, from the late 1970s drama-sitcom, “Eight is Enough.”

“He had a rock ’n’ roll band on the show. There’d be all of these people out in front of them screaming. I said, ‘I want to play guitar, I want to play music,’ ” Jackson said.

On his Learn to Burn website, Jackson extols words of inspiration for any garage band teen who has questioned that musical dream: “If I have to work all day, I might as well do something I love … playing my guitar!” he said.

We hit a harmonious chord the moment I uttered that “g” word.

When he isn’t teaching students new riffs, Jackson can often be found out on the local music scene with Burdett shredding guitar strings in one of his many side bands.

“Just talking about it to you, I get goose bumps on my arm, because I just love playing in bands,” he said. “I have a country band. I have a blues band. I have what I call my wedding band and then I have just a little classic rock band. I love Merle Haggard and I love Van Halen and everything in between. I love it all!” Jackson said.

Jackson has even been known to don a wig and spandex to further emulate those 1980s rockers he admires.

Many of the concerts Jackson plays are private affairs, but he aims to schedule at least four to six shows his students can attend each year. The Roy Jackson and Friends band recently performed onstage at a Prince of Peace Lutheran Church event in north Spokane.

“We probably had 60-plus of our students come out and see us play. I love gear too. In every one of my bands I play different amplifiers and different guitars,” Jackson said.

The mixed medley of musical side gigs is soothing to his soul.

“I probably have the least-stressful job in the world. My stress level is almost zero. It’s fantastic. Life is very good.”

Cynthia Reugh can be reached at cynthia13048@gmail.com.