Every teacher hopes for that near-perfect lesson, the one that hits all the right buttons with the students, that weaves together vital ideas and presents them in a way that is understandable and relatable. Those lessons, those days, are the good ones.
I had one of those days last week. The kicker was this: it wasn't mine. It happened in my classroom, during one of my class periods. However, I had very little to do with it.
That day, a young lady walking into my classroom knowing that she was supposed to present to the class. She told me she was nervous, repeating what she had told me the day before, revealing that she was literally shaking. This is a talented, intelligent student who performs on stage in front of an audience, acting or singing with grace. But this is different, for her anyway. This was scary, and she smiled her nervous smile and took a deep breath.
This young lady then proceeded to spend more than 30 minutes enlightening the class of 25 teenagers on the concepts of imagery, symbolism, character development, allusion, tone, and conflict.. Students asked questions afterward and appeared to be legitimately engaged as they moved through themes of perception, body image, and loyalty. We even touched briefly on the validity of separating art from the artist. She began with a slight quiver somewhere beneath her voice and ended by answering questions with insight and confidence. Mind you, this was on the last Friday prior to Winter Break. During 6th hour.
"What was the topic and lesson?" you might be asking. This young lady had presented a case for the literary value of music of Melanie Martinez, a singer-songwriter who rose to fame on The Voice and whose debut album Crybaby has gained widespread popularity. In doing so, the student pointed out allusions to Alice in Wonderland and drew comparison in tone to poetry by Edgar Allan Poe. She took the class on a walk through the album's structure as a "novel" of sorts, demonstrating how the protagonist changed and drawing on specific lines and images from the lyrics and videos to reveal how symbolism was used and conflicts developed. She chose particular songs to dive deeply into, supporting her thoughts and ideas. The major themes of the work were laid out and illustrated in entertaining clarity. She truly taught the class that day.
And she did it well. And I was across the room most of the hour, learning with the kids and jotting down questions I wanted to ask when she finished. The other students asked most of those questions before I had a chance.
The day was part of our final for our new Pop Culture Literature class. This student is one of the last ones to present. Students have enlightened us on character development and conflicts in Green Day's American Idiot and the film Homeward Bound, analyzed rhyme and metaphor in music of J. Cole, and examined plot structure through a Dierks Bentley album and La La Land. Color symbolism has taken center stage in discussions ranging from Riverdale to Wizard of Oz, from The Lion King to The Walking Dead. The role of music in setting tone and influencing character were presented through the film version of The Great Gatsby. I could continue through the wide-reaching topics ranging from Red Dirt Country to modern musicals.
It has not all been perfect. Far from it. I may not have guided some students well enough. Some students did not stretch themselves, and they barely scratched the surface of their self-selected topics. Many glossed over comparisons to accepted literature in their arguments, a vital component of the project. Even in some of those situations, however, good things have resulted. One young man struggled greatly. He has no confidence in his ability to write, and he doubts every idea he has regarding what we read. After "failing" his case study argument, I pulled him aside. We discussed where he had fallen short of expectations and where he might have used ideas we had discussed during his project development. Then I brought up paths he could take moving forward. His first response was "If it means redoing stuff, I will just take the bad grade." Then I dropped a bomb on him. I did not get upset and say, "Fine!" That is what he wanted; that way, he was off the hook. An F was not that big of deal. He'd had them before. Instead, I told him I was not going to let him, or me, off the hook that easily. That would not be fair to him. I laid out what we needed to do, and how we would do it. Since then, we have spent a good deal of time working one on one, talking about his lyrics, finding a poem that could be used for comparison, and finding examples of internal and end rhyme used by J. Cole. I have typed while he talked. He asked me for a simple cheat sheet of different rhymes. This week, he neared the end of that path. I told him all he had to do was polish up what he had written, and we would be good. Then he dropped a bomb on me. He said, "Can I add another paragraph about the meaning of the songs on the album?" He wanted to do MORE. He is getting it, and as a result, he wants to do more than the minimum. He wants me to be able to see what he thinks, to show me that he has learned something. That is big. And a major contributor to that shift is what he has been learning from the other students in his class. He has learned more about rhyme and metaphor and theme from them as they argue their cases. Does he always pay attention to them? I will just say "No, he does not." He doesn't always pay attention to me either. He still gets distracted and fidgets, a lot. But he is learning, learning from our one on one discussions and definitely learning from the others in the class.
So, where am I going with this rambling walk through my class? Honestly, I don't know. I just felt that these two students' stories were important to me as a teacher. Sometimes, the best learning takes place when we give our kids some tools and materials and then step back and let them go. Sometimes, we have to meet them where they are, instead of where we wish they would be. This semester in this new course, we have dived deeply into high level concepts such as symbolism and character motivation, irony and paradox. We have examined themes that lead uncomfortable conversations about major issues in our schools and society today. All revolving around popular music, TV shows, and films. Sometimes, we need to take a step back and regroup. Refocus on what is important: is learning taking place? Sometimes, we need to thank our lucky stars that we have supportive administration and leadership who are willing to let us run with ideas as long as we can show that it is best for our kids, even though others are raising critical eyebrows. Sometimes, I have to say "Thank you" to a team of colleagues to have had the vision, imagination, patience, and guts to be a part of this shift. And sometimes, when things are not going the way "they are supposed to go" in my classroom, I have to remember that I have amazing kids, and they can go down amazing paths.
And because of that, because they and the kids who will follow them, are my kids, I have to keep trying to get better and make what happens in my classroom more worthwhile.
After all, it's all about the learning, right? For all of us.
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