Seeing a teacher at the grocery store can be a surprise for some students, but it can be even more of a shock seeing a teacher performing on stage.

At Akins there are several teachers who moonlight by performing as musicians, comedians or even poets. They entertain various audiences after teaching in front of students by day, which in itself is a lot like performing.

“It’s not normal for people to just get up in front a group of 30 and teach something they don’t know; It’s all an act,” said math teacher Derek Hamm, multi-instrumentalist. “Sometimes you never know how a lesson is gonna go; If you’re a good actor then they’ll learn something.”

The many students at Akins express themselves through the various programs and talents that they may have, but the staff on campus do so as well. Teachers who are performers say they thrive on their separate occupations outside of school.

“When I was 10 years old I started taking guitar lessons for a few years,” said digital media teacher Joe Broome, lead guitarist of band Safely Limitless. “It got me started and I take what I’ve learned and pass it on to my students who want to learn from me.”

For some, performing was their first passion and they discovered teaching as a profession later.

“When I was 17 I ran away from home and hitchhiked to California,” Broome said. “There I met a girl and she wanted to start a band then we hitchhiked to Louisiana. From there my dad made me go to college.”

Though music is a continuing passion for these few, balancing it out with their day job of teaching is also a challenge.

“When I have a performance sometimes I’d be going to another city and coming back at about 2-3 in the morning,” said science teacher and guitarist Evan Peters. “Then the next day I’d have to come to work. Days like those I get very little sleep.”

Although the struggle of continuous traveling and returning to work the next day may seem strenuous, these teachers continue to do so for the love of both music and education. Some also see great success with their music lives while continuing to teach.

“I’ve been to many countries in Europe touring,” said Gregory Izor, social studies teacher and blues musician. “I still perform a lot and don’t see it myself slowing down anytime soon.”

Many of these teachers have had music incorporated into their lives at an earlier age and have grown up, playing various instruments including guitar and piano and continue to expand from there. A various amount of influences have inspired the genre of music they play today and have branched out into others.

“I used to study music, read music books and no genre of music was off limits to me,” Hamm said. “I haven’t really found my direction of genre in music because it’s such a wide scope of options.”

Performing takes a new form of life for these teachers allowing themselves to take on a whole meaning of following their dreams. Teachers that perform music in various bands or even solo have been doing so since their youth and see themselves continuing to do so without hesitation.

“Music is something I’ll be doing forever,” Izor said . “It’s not something I can just ‘turn off.’”