I have this habit of playing music during my homeroom primarily because I think my students have an incredibly poor grasp of their Rock 'n Roll cultural heritage. They listen to rap and hip-hop constantly, which drives me crazy, and give me blank stares when I mention names of such luminaries as Jimi Hendrix.
I mean how can you go through life not knowing one of the greatest guitar players of all time? It's a shame, really.
So this month I'm honoring black history month by playing CD's by some of the greatest African-American artists in rock and pop history (which includes Jimi Hendrix). I'm whipping out Otis Redding, James Brown, and Aretha Franklin, to name just a few.
So today I'm playing Aretha, the Queen of Soul, and the kids are milling around, catching up on homework, chatting with their friends, and doing the usual killing time activities until the bell rings and they can go to their lockers. I look up and one of my kids, Smile Boy, is standing up at his desk, working on his grammar, and dancing along to the music. Not just dancing, but really, really dancing, arms swinging, feet moving, he was GROOOVIN....
It's then that I notice that there are about four other kids doing the same thing...they're dancing in their seats, be-bopping around the pencil sharpener, and basically just having the best time listening to Aretha do her thing.
It was heaven.
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1 comment:
That sounds *awesome*!
I have an entire CD of Motown. Smokey? Smokin'!
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