Q&A: Glen Burnie High School Teacher Anthony Pinder

Patch caught up with music teacher Anthony Pinder in December.

Patch stopped him to ask .

Glen Burnie Patch: How long have you been in education?
Anthony Pinder: 26 years. I've been at Glen Burnie High School for 21 years. My first two years I was in Dorchester County and taught kindergarten through eighth grade. My second two years were in [Prince George's County] and I taught high school band. And I taught one year in York, PA.

Glen Burnie Patch: How did you decide to go into education?
Pinder: In high school, I had a passion for two things. One passion was math and the other was music. I chose the one that I thought I'd get the most enjoyment out of. When I went to college as a performance major—I played the tuba—my professor said there's not too many jobs for tuba players. So this is the best of both worlds. Plan B was to get a job in education.

Glen Burnie Patch: How did you decide to teach at the high school level?
Pinder: I knew I wanted to get out of elementary school. The kids are really touchy-feely. I made it to adulthood without any chicken pox. I went through a chicken pox scare [while teaching elementary school] and it scared the daylights out of me so I decided to get away from younger kids. Then, I ended up getting them at Glen Burnie.

Glen Burnie Patch: Where did you go to high school? College? What degree do you hold?
Pinder: I went to high school on the Eastern Shore in Salisbury at James M. Bennett [High School]. I went to Westchester University in Pennsylvania [and received a degree in] music education. I have a Master of Science in curriculum and instruction with a concentration in administration.

Glen Burnie Patch: What do you do in your free time?
Pinder: My favorite thing to do is to travel. In October, I turned 50 and took a week off to go to the Dominican Republic.