A couple of weeks ago, while working out in the weight room with a dozen or so young men and women, a particular song shuffled onto the playlist of my phone, which was broadcasting through the weight room's speakers. It was a cover of "Cult of Personality" by the 90s metal band Living Colour.
The song's opening lines are from a speech I could not place, so I asked the other coach who was with me at the time, who happens to be history teacher, and he too was not sure who was speaking the words, although they sounded incredibly familiar. As has become common, a google search saved the day. I won't reveal to you the answer, even though I would suggest you look for the results yourself. The song, and the quote, which resulted in a brief bit of research, led to a conversation as we continued to lift. Two teachers and several high school students intent on sweating away some calories and building some fast twitch fibers discussed major historical figures and the words they uttered that still ring today.
Some people would be amazed at how often such conversations actually take place. Once, while waiting for his turn in "the cage" during offensive line drills, a player asked me if a thought was more along the lines of an atheist or an agnostic, and what exactly was the difference? I will admit that this is one of the more thoughtful students I have ever worked with, but it was an interesting philosophical question and an exchange of knowledge and thought took place. LEARNING took place.
So where am I headed with this? I recently was struck by the use of the phrase "in the instructional classroom" as it applies to school funding. That phrase kept turning over in my head. Every day, so many teachers strive to take teaching beyond the four walls of the traditional classroom and push students to learn in whatever way possible. Tonight, as The Walking Dead returns with its first episode following its mid-season hiatus, more than one student and I will exchange thoughts regarding the plot, characters, themes, style, and symbolism presented in the show on A&E. Much of this conversation will take place via Twitter, and the feedback will be swift. How could I pass up such an opportunity? The series has used an intriguing non-linear storytelling style the past couple of seasons, and that has raised more than one literary discussion that may have never occurred otherwise. Former and current students have waited to initiate conversations on "TWD Mondays", many of which revolve around how this character or that character moves through the traditional hero's journey, how Daryl is the prototypical antihero, or how his angel's wings, once subtle and symbolic, have become soiled and ironic. The commercial for TWD mobile game uses the lines of Frost's "The Road Not Taken" in a startling new way, which allows for examination of tone and mood, and how different presentations and reading can alter a poem's effect. When Carol sobbed, "Just look at the flowers" to Lizzie, it prompted a discussion of the themes Of Mice and Men and the use of literary allusions. The opportunities for thought, for discussion, for learning, are surprisingly vast.
Every day, new opportunities to teach and learn present themselves. Sometimes they are expected and obvious. We grab hold of them and run with them. Hopefully, they work out and the kids are captivated. At other times, we do not even know those opportunities are there until we look back and see that they took place. Regardless, we need to be open to them, in whatever form they take. They may take us out of our comfort zones, and they may sometimes fail. Sometimes that is scary.
What they should be is exhilarating. Who would want to miss out on such opportunities, whether it happens inside four walls, in the weight room, or in the Twittersphre? It is all learning, and isn't that what we are searching for?
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