Hello friends, family, and strangers (I flatter myself)! I am a recently-graduated girl finding my way in the "real world" (apparently, I've been floating around the fake world for the past two decades). Many of my friends' "real world"s consist of cubicles, nine-to-fives, marriage, babies, and other such grown-up things. My real world looks a little different. Yes, I still get up and go to work every morning, same as they do. But instead of battling fax machines, computer programs, disgruntled spouses and dirty diapers, I arm myself against a legion of 14-year-old boys. Well, 83 of them to be exact. You see, I teach 8th-grade boys' Science in an inner-city, high-poverty school. What it is not: glamorous, prestigious, boring. What it is: humorous, heartbreaking, and the most challenging thing I will ever do.

The stories I tell and the people I describe are real; you can't make this stuff up. If you are new to my blog, I hope you'll start at the beginning and fall in love with its characters, just as I have.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

B U L L E T P R O O F

During a workshop I was required to attend as part of my teacher inservice, we learned all about how to use music in the classroom. It is great as a "launch button" to tell kids when to get up, move, talk, stop talking, etc. If they know they're supposed to ______ when they hear the music, you don't have to yell over the din; all you do is press play.

A few other advantages they listed:

1. Music can set a positive tone in the classroom
2. Music can be a great way to build culture
3. Music can be used as a reward system
4. Light background noise actually helps today's generation concentrate
5. Using your kids' music during class shows you care about them (although I'm pretty sure playing even the mildest Gucci or Waka song could get me fired in a heartbeat)

That's super. The reason I use music in the classroom:

It improves my mental health.

Last year I played Miley Cyrus' "Party in the USA" every day during warm-up to distract myself from the fact that I was in living hell brighten my spirits. Eventually the boys sang along and loved it. Today I introduced a new one:


Picture it, if you will. My speakers are on as loud as they can go. My expo marker is my microphone, and the aisles between the desks are my stage. I may or may not be wearing a cardigan, but you can bet your life I have on teacher flats. Twenty-eight pairs of eyes shift nervously from their questions on convection currents to their semi-crazed teacher. Or is that Lady Gaga? Tina Turner? Stevie Nicks?

These comments:

"UGHHH. Ms. M What IS DIS?!?"

"Turn it off, dis WACK. Play sum Drake or somethin.' Man dat old crap you play in tha mornins is better than THIS mess."

Turned quickly to these comments:

"Aight hey can you play dat again?"

"Man who sings this?"

"Dis my JAM!"

By the end of the day, kids were jogging past me on the bus lot fist-pumping and singing, "THIS TIME MS. M I'LL BE....BULLETPROOF!"
Posted by at

2 comments:

  1. StarlaOctober 21, 2010 at 3:44 PM

    After reading your tagline at the top of your blog: 'the most challenging thing I will ever do,' I must offer a suggested revision. This is the most challenging thing that you have done to date.
    God is preparing you for the next 'most challenging thing you will ever do.'
    Love you, more!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnnOctober 21, 2010 at 4:06 PM

    is that supposed to be encouraging? i don't want to be challenged any more! ha

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)