RAP.

Sorry to continuously lead you guys on, but this week will not incorporate my teacher in this week’s edition of my #BowTieBoys blog. We are still working around a scheduling issue. Maybe if I quit saying our discussion will materialize, it will just happen. Regardless of the interview’s absence, I still have a post for this week and in my opinion, it is as current as it gets.

How many of your students get excited to read Canterbury Tales? How about Charles Dickens? Does Homer get their adrenaline pumping? Confidently, I can say very few kids my age are exhilarated by poetry written forever ago. This is not to say these poems do not possess merit, but opening up a thirty year old textbook, smelling the musty pages, and reading the seemingly endless lines of Old English isn’t always the best way to hook students into poetry.

At my school especially, there is a negative stigma surrounding poetry within the student population. The most obvious cause is a lack of engagement. Teachers in my past (with the exception of one) combat this cynical connotation by telling students how to interpret poetry so it’s ‘easier for the test.’ While people may appreciate the cram-regurgitate-forget formula due to its simplicity, at the end of the day, nothing has been taught.

This poses the question: how can we connect today’s younger generation to poetry? It is my belief that the education system can completely revamp how kids see poetry by utilizing rap music as an everyday tool. It’s true the nationwide student landscape cannot be pigeonholed on any topic, it is safe to say, at least a good portion of students actively listen to rap or hip hop music. Recently, Grammy award winning phenomenon, Kendrick Lamar, released a new album titled: “DAMN.” For only two weeks, “DAMN.” has been picking up steam. As one of the most hyped albums in the genre of rap, it has already become the highest selling album of 2017 (Caulfield).

I understand where the hesitance comes from regarding introducing rap music into the classroom. Lyrics can be explicit, allude to drugs/sex/violence, or repeat the same lines over and over again. There are ways to combat that fact though. First off, overly vulgar or repetitive songs probably don’t need to be included as they may not possess much substance, but censored versions (or uncensored, if allowed) of well written songs can allow students to analyze storytelling through music they already listen to. Also, even though rap lyrics may be more direct with their references, school mandated books are not squeaky clean either. Last year, the entire grade read To Kill a Mockingbird. A key element of that story is a court case surrounding rape charges. Add in the constant use of racial slurs and you have a story that’s potentially ‘more inappropriate’ than some rap music. Obviously, subject matter doesn’t mean the book is bad, but the same judgment should apply to rap music as well. In English this year I’ve read Lord of the Flies and am actively reading Macbeth. Sexual imagery is present in the former and constant mentions of high alcohol consumption and murder run rampant in the latter. When broken down, other than word choice, there is not much difference between Macbeth brutally stabbing Duncan and a rapper describing a life riddled with gang violence. Just like poetry has a student-driven negative connotation, rap music has a seemingly adult-driven negative connotation. Bringing both together in a classroom setting would do wonders to crumble the criticism of each form of literature.

There is so much that can be taught with the unique lyricism that rap allows writers to play with. The genre is entirely based around rhythm, which in the state of Virginia is a concept students must master before the end-of-year standardized testing. Take this excerpt from Kendrick Lamar’s song, “DNA.” as an example:

"I got, I got, I got, I got

Loyalty, got royalty inside my DNA

Cocaine quarter piece, got war and peace inside my DNA

I got power, poison, pain and joy inside my DNA

I got hustle though, ambition, flow, inside my DNA

I was born like this, since one like this

Immaculate conception

I transform like this, perform like this

Was Yeshua's new weapon"

In a twenty-two second span, ‘Kung Fu Kenny’ manages to seamlessly use internal rhyme, allusion, simile, alliteration, assonance, consonance, flashback, and of course rhythm. All of which are literary devices that Virginia’s curriculum involves. On the surface, teachers may be quick to avoid this song because of the mention of cocaine. Upon further analysis however, it is clear that Lamar is merely explaining that he has overcome his family’s history of drug abuse/drug trafficking. Just as in any work of art, only when its audience delves beneath the surface do they find out what it truly means.

With each new song comes a new story and/or a new perspective. It’s a great lesson to teach students; one writer can look at something in so many different ways. Look no further than “HUMBLE.” which is arguably Kendrick’s biggest hit from the album. Taking this song face value, one might think “HUMBLE.” is just another boisterous rap song where the artist raps about how great he is. After another look or so, it’s amazing how masterfully Lamar wrote this. Today’s rap singles very rarely venture into social commentaries. Typically, even when they do, listeners are supposed to just absorb the lyrics without too much extra thought. “HUMBLE.” is just one huge satirical piece, full of juxtaposed lyrics aimed at today’s landscape of rappers. Throughout the song, 'K-Dot' uses braggadocious lyrics to explain why people should “be humble.” This is a hugely popular song in my school. Imagine what could be accomplished if teachers harnessed the enthusiasm students have towards rap music and redirected it into the classroom. Most kids listening to “HUMBLE.” for example do not know that the song is dominated by irony. Reading comprehension and poetic writing ability will grow if students’ eyes are opened up to what their favorite songs’ lyrics mean.

So much would occur if rap was incorporated into the classroom more often. Rather than perpetuating a disconnect between teacher and student, schools should integrate the genre as a whole into English classes to:

• Foster students’ abilities to analyze song lyrics, as well as poetry
• Help students identify literary devices and figurative language
• Build positive rapport with students through changes to classroom formulas
• Increase enthusiasm for English through music that has a preexisting connection with kids
• Show different methods famous songwriters use to captivate an audience
• Draw parallels between classical and modern forms of literature
• Allow students to explore emulating assorted writing styles in their own writing

I very much believe that one of, if not the, largest necessities of education is open mindedness. There is no such thing as one true way to write. There is no such thing as one true way to interpret a work of literature. There is no such thing as one true way to create art. That all may sound cliché, but when we disallow certain genres from the classroom (whether it be books, music, poems, movies, etc.), we dispute these expressions. To reiterate, I am not advocating for teachers to play songs that are primarily made up of unnecessary profanity, yet I still wonder; how come ‘classic books’ get exceptions made for them, while ‘modern music’ receives an advisory sticker?

As Kendrick Lamar says in the song “Ab-Soul’s Outro,” everyone has their own perspective on the world. When teachers expose students to only one form of writing, we have a much more limited understanding of what writing can be. Restricting rap music is just another way to restrict the way students think, act, feel, and express themselves. At the end of the day, even though educators are the classroom authority, no one can force a formula upon students. Writing is about envisioning a moment and recreating it for an audience, regardless of what shape it takes. Shielding kids from rap music (even though we already have access to it anyway) does much more bad than good. Ultimately, students need to have the freedom to explore what works for them and what doesn’t. Poetry is a beautiful art form and can be among the most therapeutic ways to release pressure from within. By incorporating the genre of rap into the classroom and helping students see its similarities to poetry, students will become more engaged and successful in English.

“See a lot of ya'll don't understand Kendrick Lamar
Because you wonder how I could talk about money, h***, clothes, god, history all in the same sentence
You know what all the things have in common
Only half of the truth, if you tell it
See I've spent twenty three years on the earth searching for answers
Til' one day I realized I had to come up with my own
I've not on the outside looking in
I'm not on the inside looking out
I'm in the death ****ing center, looking around” (Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul’s Outro)

Thank you so much for reading this week’s edition of my blog! I would love to hear any thoughts (in agreement or opposition), any suggestions you have, or any questions you may have. I will continue to update this on Fridays as the year progresses. You can follow me on Twitter @TheSammer88 for live updates from me. The hashtag, #BowTieBoys has been compiling my thoughts and my partners’ thoughts, so be sure to check that out if you want to hear more from us.

WORKS CITED

Caulfield, Keith. "Kendrick Lamar Earns Third No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With Biggest Debut of 2017." Billboard. N.p., 22 Apr. 2017. Web. 28 Apr. 2017.

Lamar, Kendrick. Ab-Soul's Outro. Kendrick Lamar. Terrace Martin, 2011. MP3.

Lamar, Kendrick. DNA. Kendrick Lamar. Aftermath Entertainment, Mike Will Made It, 2017. MP3.

Lamar, Kendrick. HUMBLE. Kendrick Lamar. Aftermath Entertainment, Mike Will Made It, 2017. MP3.

Minions: A Teaching Movie?

Today’s blog post was originally scheduled to include an interview with another one of my teachers, but timing didn't work out. Of course, that doesn’t mean it won’t happen, I just have to put that post on hold. Inspiration really can come from anywhere and what inspired me to write this replacement is as strange as it gets.

I am a big movie fan, as many people around the world are. Going to the movie theater, buying DVDs, and watching movies at home are all so much fun to me. Some of my friends have a strange obsession with the Minions movie. At first, it didn’t make any sense to me why a children’s cartoon was connecting so well with a group of teenagers. I didn’t see the film and I knew nothing about it, so I went and researched it a little bit. The first thing I found blew me away. Would you believe Minions (according to boxofficemojo.com) grossed almost 1.2 billion dollars internationally? How did a movie with gibberish-speaking protagonists, gain enough popularity to earn a higher Rotten Tomatoes score than Home Alone?

After getting over my original, close-minded confusion, I attempted to start looking at the movie in a more objective way. Despite having no linguistic skills whatsoever, the Minions manage to create an emotional connection with audiences. Why is this the case?

Throughout the movie, the Minions are genuine in every action they take part in. They are completely transparent to the audience in everything that they do. Moviegoers do not have to make guesses about their motives, because they will blatantly show what they are about to do and, more importantly, why.

While the premise of the movie is that the Minions want to be ‘despicable,’ kids and adults alike find solace in their heartwarming emotions. The characters in the movie see them as evil, but theater patrons enjoy seeing them care for one another.

Even though they are the titular characters, the Minions fail endlessly. Very rarely do they succeed. In fact, the entire first quarter of the movie essentially shows how the Minions achieve their goal. This doesn’t stop them though - they continue to try new things. The Minions do not hide their setbacks either, instead the yellow creatures outwardly accept them and try to adapt based off of them.

Finally, in Minions, the protagonists have disagreements with each other. Constant infighting between the Minions does not distract from the larger goal they have. At the end of the day, while they may disagree, the Minions find a way to overcome any disparity and band together.

I swear all of that had a purpose. As trivial as it may sound, a lot can be taken from films that generate excitement. The elements that make Minions a box office success are similar to the elements that make a teacher successful. Now, very few educators are one-eyed, yellow, hot dog shaped individuals, but personalities shown by the Minions are ones that should be transferred to education as a whole. I’m just using Minions as an example. Many movies show good teaching qualities. Just like when students analyze literature and draw parallels to their lives, teachers can break down movies of all genres.

Transparency in teaching is extremely important. Students should never wonder why they are doing work. If work is purposeless, it is useless too. The Minions are very straightforward. They do “X,” because “Y.” Educators that work the same way, in my experience, are better at creating positive rapport. Viewers are never in the dark when they watch Minions. It is empowering for students to not only feel like they know what is going on, but for them to genuinely understand the reasoning behind classroom decisions. When teachers withhold information from students, it perpetuates an age-old divide between the two sides of education. To ensure classes run smoothly, with more collaboration, and with more efficiency, each party needs to be on the same page. Any teacher who treats their students as underlings shoots themselves in the foot. It’s cliche to say at this point, but respect is mutual. If a teacher wants respect and trust, it is crucial they establish an environment where students know they are respected and trusted.

Minions are evil. Their original purpose was to equip Despicable Me’s villain with a group of henchmen, yet everyone are drawn to them. Unlike stormtroopers in Star Wars, Nicky Santoro in Casino, or the Death Eaters in Harry Potter, the Minions have redeeming qualities. They are humane. As humans, we are drawn to humanity. Whether it be in movies or education, our favorites are the ones who show the most compassion and empathy. Think back to some of your best teachers from the past. Now, think back to some of your worst teachers. What set them apart? My answer is very simple. Educators that I cannot connect with typically run with no reference made to students. The focus is on either what’s easiest for the teacher or what our textbook says. Stifling rules are put in place to control, rather than to enhance authentic learning. Why would a student be excited to attend a class that’s run in a borderline totalitarian fashion? Teachers that build real connections with kids are the ones that are remembered forever. In order to build a positive relationships with students, teachers need to create an environment where students feel allowed to question, explore, and draw their own conclusions. For the entirety of Minions, one of the characters lugs around a teddy bear. This particular minion will stop at nothing to protect his bear. He refuses to let anything happen to it and wants to keep the toy in his arms at all times. Inviting classrooms work the same way. Within a teacher’s classroom, students should feel safe enough to delve deep into their writing, reading, or research without fear of being judged or non-constructively criticized.

Nobody is perfect. Anybody who pretends to be perfect is lying. The Minions are far from perfect. In fact, one of the most endearing aspects of their characters is that constant failure does not perturb them. Minions are not quiet about when something doesn’t work. If one of their ideas falls flat, they own it and move on. Successful teachers are the same way. Believe it or not, a lot of the time, if something fails in the classroom, teachers do not do anything to fix the issue. Of course, I have no statistics to back this up, but this is just what I’ve seen through my ten years of school. A more positive way for educators to face failure, is to admit it and to just try a new idea. Rapport with students grows when teachers show vulnerability. Earlier, I pointed out if teachers want to respect, they need to respect their students. It’s the same thing here. Kids are more likely to step out of their comfort zone when teachers show they’re not afraid to put themselves out there either.

The Minions’ constant conflict within their ranks is arguably the most important characteristic to look at. Disagreements are a part of everyone’s lives. Students disagree with fellow students. Teachers disagree with other teachers. Teachers and students butt heads over certain topics. Administration policies sometimes create unpleasant feelings amongst teachers and students. Parents air their grievances towards teachers and administrative officials. Students and parents collide often as well. There are even more examples of dissension that I didn’t even mention. The Minions never retain harsh feelings at each other. They can accidentally launch missiles at each other and in under five minutes, it’s no longer an issue. Humans in general can learn something here, not just teachers and students. Holding grudges will inevitably eviscerate a school. Social drama does not accomplish anything positive for a school. In order for school to be inviting for students (and teachers, admin, and parents), everyone has to be open minded. I understand that is easier said than done, but feedback has to be acceptable. Without honest feedback, how can a teacher ever know the pros and cons of their class? Teachers look at school with a different lens than students. If we block ourselves in from any other opinions, we are faced with a stagnant future. For the sake of innovation and constant growth, fights should be avoided in favor of calm discussions with opposing viewpoints. When we take advice from Minions and collectively put our differences aside to achieve the same goal: student development.

This blog post may have been a bit eccentric, but I honestly believe there is merit in analyzing Minions for the sake of improving the educational realm. Sometimes teachers and students do not communicate the same way. Adults come from a different generation than kids. That does not mean the doors of discussion are locked shut. Once again, look at Minions. None of the Minions speak a word of English, or any human language for that matter. They overcame this language barrier to earn 1.2 billion dollars for Universal Studios. If Minions can make that much money while speaking gibberish, teachers can convey their messages to students and vice versa. It’s not all on the educators. Students have to also be willing to accept teachers’ attempts to connect, just like audiences have to be willing to accept “pwede na” as a real word. However, without teachers making a conscious effort, students will never reciprocate.

Thank you so much for reading this week’s unique edition of my blog! I would love to hear any thoughts (in agreement or opposition), any suggestions you have, or any questions you may have. I will continue to update this on Fridays as the year progresses. You can follow me on Twitter @TheSammer88 for live updates from me. The hashtag, #BowTieBoys has been compiling my thoughts and my partners’ thoughts, so be sure to check that out if you want to hear more from us.

Works Cited:

"Minions (2015)." Box Office Mojo. IMDb, n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2017.

Minions. Dir. Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin. Perf. Sandra Bullokc and Jon Hamm. Universal Pictures, 2015. DVD.

The Benefits of Varying Class Structure: Revisited

About a month and a half ago, I detailed experiences from one of my AP classes. I’m more than happy to say the class has become so much more engaging. While grades may not always be an accurate representation of information retention, I think it it’s telling that I’m on pace to earn a significantly higher grade this quarter. The climate of my classroom was very much one that did not seem to value diversified class formatting, which in part led to a high rate of student disengagement.

Out of nowhere, our AP class has embarked on an entirely new path. Worksheets, guided notes, and lengthy YouTube videos have been replaced with debates, role-playing activities, and multimedia research projects. Data is never the only measurement for student success, but the data certainly supports my teacher’s newfound strategies. Morale is high, which is rare for an AP class full of sophomores. Overall, the classroom is a much happier place to be in.

Others may disagree (and many of my past teachers have done so vociferously), but to me, there always has to be an outlet for fun in class. Now, ‘fun’ obviously doesn’t mean let students run wild and disregard any work that needs to be completed, but there’s always a way to spruce up class time. School is full of mandation, silent work, and surface level worksheets. In a sea of monotony, being a beacon of variation and/or joviality will ultimately build student rapport and foster a more engaging classroom ecology.

Take my current teacher for example. She can attest to the fact that changing class format can drastically affect the emotions of students. My teacher has been on both sides of the spectrum; at the start of the year, stressed out teenagers would call her names out of earshot, incessantly complain to substitute teachers if she was absent, and mentally check out during class. Due to her seemingly random shift in pedagogy, she is now treated much more positively. Gone are the remarks about her teaching style and the audible snores from the corner of the room. In their place are students excited to learn (or at least debate) and find their own definition of our world’s history.

Don’t get me wrong, though; this was no accident. Similar events would unfold if teachers anywhere made this switch. In the words of Nelly, “let’s break it down” real quick:

I won’t dive too deep into her past teaching decisions (because you can find all of that information in my first blog post), but let’s just say our student population was less than engaged. Videos, paired with worksheets, were given to us every single class and it was wearing on my peers and I very quickly. The non-participatory qualities of her teaching tactics led to lower test scores and a very disgruntled group of kids. I may not have a full grasp on this topic, but if I’m not mistaken, some teachers’ jobs rely very heavily on test scores. Regardless of whether or not paper and pencil tests have any merit, they can be necessary to ensure a teacher’s livelihood. Keeping this in mind, I believe a significant issue plaguing our class was a trend of declining test scores. It was getting to the point that the top scores were clocking in around the C or C+ range. Clearly, mastering nearly 80% of the material (at best) was not where we needed to be. From a purely data-centered standpoint this shift was warranted.

Rather than constantly holding classes that were carbon copies of one another, my teacher recently began varying our class structure. As I stated above, she’s seeing attention-grabbing activities with more enthusiasm.

My favorite of the activities that she has created and has us take part in, is her debate/reenactment hybrid. Take our World War I Treaty of Versailles edition for example. Each of the students were split into groups that represented the different countries involved in the conflict. We each had the allotted amount of time to prepare before attempting to persuade the other countries to give us what we wanted. Every group brought a different flavor to the debates,  whether it be through analogies, threats, compromises, or pointing blame elsewhere. The arguments were so fierce that they continued after we left the classroom. My classmates were on the way to lunch and people were arguing about whether or not Serbia was at fault for starting the first World War. If that’s not a true instance of engagement, I don’t know what is.

It should come as no surprise that collectively grades went up. Comprehension of the curriculum was also much higher, across her classes. The reasoning behind it is common sense. When students are engaged, information makes a more long lasting impact on them.

I strongly believe that school is not about teaching curriculum, it is more about teaching life skills. The independence projects like this require is so beneficial to us. Rather than having our teacher read the events out to us, with the winner ultimately getting final say about what happened, we all got to draw our own conclusions. There was no right answer. We were forced to figure out where we stood on the issues and then bolster them to a sometimes disagreeing crowd. That’s a skill that only becomes more important as time goes on. Fostering that growth would never be possible under the guidance of notes and worksheets.

Not only does this new formatting shift harness students’ desire for independence and engage us to a subject that has a bad connotation, it has given my teacher a more positive rapport with her students. In switching how her class is run, my teacher has shown all of us that she has enough self-awareness to know a change was necessary if we were going to be ready for the AP test. Most bad blood is gone because student trust has increased substantially. We know our teacher is truly on her side. She isn’t stubborn, her one goal is to make sure we learn. All of that became very clear after worksheets went extinct and constant, opinionated, and explorative work was re-introduced.

While this may be a non-English AP class that I’m highlighting, but just as in every other blog that’s up on my website, this can easily be taken to an English classroom and it will heavily improve it. The ways an educator can do that are simpler than they might imagine.

The biggest complaint from my teacher’s students before her revamp was her lack of conversation with students. She seemed very isolated from us and with a struggling class, that’s not really helpful. As soon as she started listening to the voices in her classroom and made an attempt to answer those voices, our class’ favorability of her was enhanced. Teachers need to allow students a voice in their classroom. How else with they know what is working and/or what is not? Although teachers may believe their lesson plans are having an effect on students, if their ears are deaf to the kids inhabiting their class, they will never know for sure.

On another note, we, students, know when a teacher is avoiding listening to us. It’s so obvious and on top of that it’s so off putting. That just shows as that a teacher will not change (regardless of student needs) and rips to shreds any possibility of a good relationship between students and their teacher.

The best way to initiate a switch similar to my teacher is to know your students. All throughout the year, teachers should be learning about who their students are, how they learn, and what makes them tick. Without this information, if they are subjected to a difficult aspect of the curriculum, teachers will not be able to help them as effectively. If my teacher had seen that we were not connecting with videos and worksheets, and decided to give us PowerPoint presentations to do, we still wouldn’t have connected. My teacher knew that we were a class that loves to talk, argue, and get competitive. Naturally, this led to the introduction of the elements listed above. Variations within a class structure will never be the same across two classrooms - frankly, not everything can work. No one except for the teacher of the classroom can fully understand what is right for their students. Who else spends seven hours daily with these kids, outside their parents? It’s on educators to get down to a personal level with their students, otherwise student rapport will fall, test scores will fall, classroom morale will fall, and engagement will fall. A class without these components is destined to crumble under the weight of its own failure.

Thank you so much for reading this week’s edition of my blog! I would love to hear any thoughts (in agreement or opposition), any suggestions you have, or any questions you may have. I will continue to update this on Fridays as the year progresses. You can follow me on Twitter @TheSammer88 for live updates from me. The hashtag, #BowTieBoys has been compiling my thoughts and my partners’ thoughts, so be sure to check that out if you want to hear more from us.