What moments stand out in my memory as some of the most poignant and educative moments in my life? I can barely recall what classes I took in high school or the endless lessons on God knows what that I sat through. There are—however—several moments from school that I will never, ever forget. I will never forget the time Ms. Sullivan played “Fast Car” by Tracey Chapmen in eighth grade, to exhibit what it was like to grow up without wealth. I will never forget Mr. Meeker playing “Imagine” by John Lennon—on his own guitar—in 10th grade, asking all of us hotheaded high school kids to think about a more peaceful world for a minute. The only conversation I remember having with Mr. Reiff (my science teacher for two years) was the one we had about Neil Young and I will never forget playing “Frail” by Jars of Clay to my entire 11th grade class in the chapel.
Fast-forward a decade and you miraculously find me in front of 100+ students every single day: teaching. If there is one thing I have learned in my past three years in working with pre-K through 12th grade students, it is this: the basics aren’t going to cut it anymore. Students walk into the classroom listening to music and walk out of the classroom listening to music. Since I am not in the position to demand a school wide change on what is allowed in students’ pockets, I can utilize my position to at least engage students within my classroom and not always try to compete with their interests but activate them.
Cameron White (2005) states that it is impossible to deny how important popular media is in all of our lives that it is “one of the few arenas that provides a forum for common understandings, dialog, and communication.” I would invite you into my classroom tomorrow to witness how true that sentiment is and to see what White is talking about.
Students struggling with Romeo and Juliet were engaged with the Manga version I put on the wall, the film version we watched, the No Fear version we looked at together as reading the “old” version out loud in class. Students breaking into the first few vignettes of House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros were intrigued by the stories, but were more able to fully relate to the themes when we looked at Wyclef Jean videos, and listened to some of their other favorite tunes that deal directly with the themes of the novel: identity, family, money, place, authorship and faith.
Pop music isn’t just a passing phase or a little part of students’ lives: pop music plays a huge role in students’ lives. Some of the few times I see certain students speak with one another are when they agree that they both like a certain song. It is when I bring up ideas and examples from popular culture where the entire class becomes engaged and wants to become part of the conversation. In many ways this goes back to constructivist education models, building upon what students already know. When I played “Sweetest Girl” by Wyclef Jean, very few students hadn’t heard the song. However, when I showed the video and tied in the themes of the lyrics directly to Cisneros’ text, students were able to make connections much easier and even make the themes relevant to their own lives. I kid you not that a free form debate over money developed in my classroom – it was one of my best days as a young teacher.
Depending on what you choose to play, you will likely ignite questions like those Graff (2003) mentions: “Do you like it or hate it? Is it a confrontational or cooperative activity?” and as Graff states these are “ripe starting point[s] for a class discussion and a first step toward demystifying the academic argument culture.” When I played a country song once, one of my student’s (Dante) spoke out and said: “Ohhh, man! Don’t play this country stuff, it has to be hip hop!” Beyond the fact that this lead to an entertaining discussion, the whole idea that Dante’s musical tastes were being challenged—and that he would later correlate that music to something beyond what he initially had—excites me and reassures me that time spent in the classroom in this manner is never time wasted.
Tomorrow, in an effort to more fully flesh out the thematic elements within Mango, my class will listen to “Hey Mama” by Kanye West, “Dear Mama” by Tupac Shakur, read “Daddy” by Sylvia Plath, read an excerpt from Dreams of my Father by President Barack Obama, watch a funny You Tube clip about a boy and his father and then write personal poems or songs about our own family. I firmly believe that it is lessons like those (and I am not simply tooting my own horn here) that make class memorable, educational, and moreover worthwhile for both student and teacher. When you blur those lines, and take “advantage of the synergies” you make a learning space that engages students on many levels—an environment that will never settle on being basic.
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