What is an itinerant teacher?

Itinerant teachers are traveling teachers. There are dozens of itinerant teachers within Lincoln Public Schools. They range from health technicians, PT/OT specialists, psychologists/social workers and specialist teachers. Specialist teacher include art, P.E., computer sciences and music. Music itinerants comprise one of the largest sections of itinerant teachers in LPS. In almost every case, itinerant staff must create their own schedule to cover their caseload for the year. Some itinerants will teach at a specific school for the entire day and then be at another school the following day. Other itinerants may travel between schools during the day, and in some cases every day. Traveling between schools is incorporated into the daily schedules and mileage is paid by the district.
Itinerant music teachers can trace their history as far back as the colonial days of America in the 18th century. During the Colonial Period, music teachers and composers in New England would travel from town to town and establish Singing Schools. They would spend a few months in each town, teaching locals to sing and read music. Once they were satisfied with the progress of the students, they would move on to the next town and repeat the process. This rudimentary approach to teaching music is still seen in today’s schools and communities.