Shaw sings praises for music teacher

and Maude Sawyer The Community Times Shaw music teacher Mr. Bottoms is a true Renaissance man. In addition to teaching music, Mr. Bottoms has also taught math and leads a choir -- and on top of that he plays several instruments. But Mr. Bottoms' true passion is music. He returned to Shaw Middle School this year after teaching at Drew Elementary School. Before that, he taught math at Shaw. While at Drew last year, Mr. Bottoms formed a choir. Wanting to keep working with a choir when he arrived at Shaw, Mr. Bottoms brought his group with him and has expanded it to more than 30 members. He said he was excited to come back to Shaw. "Shaw was a fabulous school and when I heard they were hiring, I wanted to come back," he said. Mr. Bottoms currently teaches students in grades five through eight, but he said he has the most fun with the sixth-grade classes. When not in the classroom, Mr. Bottoms likes playing the trumpet, organ and French horn. He also enjoys listening to Natalie Cole, his favorite singer, and Stevie Wonder, his favorite musician. While Mr. Bottoms had hoped to become a professional baseball player when he was growing up, he said teaching music is the best job in the world. His love for his career is evident in his retirement plans -- or lack thereof. Mr. Bottoms, who is in his 30s, said he plans to retire when he reaches his mid-60s -- and no earlier. He noted that he wants to spend as much time as possible enjoying his students. "I don't have any plans to retire soon because I'm happy all the time," he said. "And the more students that come to Shaw, the more I will enjoy being here." Noting his work with the choir, Mr. Bottoms said all teachers should take a more active role at Shaw. He emphasized that "teachers should be involved with school programs more." Mr. Bottoms has received a great deal of praise from his students, including sixth-grader Megan Sawyer. "I like being in his class because we get to work with different instruments," she said. Ebony Govan, another Shaw sixth-grader, added, "I like Mr. Bottoms because he lets me compete against the boys [in the class] and win."