Idea of a rapping teacher sound awkward? Actually, he's awesome.
It may sound dorky, but wait till you hear him to judge.
The idea of a teacher rapping probably makes you want to cringe, right? A for effort ... and for awkward.
But Mr. Reed stunned students when he came up with an awesome rhyme-infused rap designed to get his new fourth-graders pumped for the new school year.
The music video was called "Welcome to the Fourth Grade," and his students were totally feeling it. For obvious reasons, it went viral in August 2016.
[rebelmouse-image 19529839 dam="1" original_size="1788x1094" caption="Reed in his music video, "Welcome to the Fourth Grade." Image via Mr. Reed/YouTube." expand=1]Reed in his music video, "Welcome to the Fourth Grade." Image via Mr. Reed/YouTube.
His love of rap coupled with the ridiculous amount of excitement over the video made him eager to incorporate music into school life as often as he could.
So Reed spent much of the school year encouraging kids to embrace their own creativity and musicality. Some even got together to make their own music video, which was featured on the local news.
Tomorrow, a few kids from the hood will perform their very own song on the local news. I don't care what anyone says: if you give kids the tools and the opportunities to be great, they will, every.single.time.
Posted by Mr. Dwayne Reed on Wednesday, June 21, 2017
Today, Mr. Reed is continuing to spread his inspiring message in a new video series he helped put together with teachers across the country.
The video series powered by Old Navy was created to launch its cause platform of the same name, ONward!The album features several new songs written and performed by teachers about how they take the next generation to the next level. The songs celebrate the more "awesome" aspects of school, aka reasons kids should be amped about going back.
His offering — "Welcome Back to School" — makes one cool introduction to the fifth-graders at LEARN Campbell elementary in Chicago, where Reed is headed this fall.
He first caught our attention with his viral musical approach to teaching kids. Now, thanks to the #ONward program, he and other like-minded teachers are back with an entire album.
Posted by Upworthy on Monday, July 24, 2017
Another teacher, Beth Fortune of Washington Middle School in Seattle, wrote and performed this delightful country tune with three of her students about remaining true to who you are. It's called "Be Myself."
Teachers really can make rapping and singing look cool. Well, some teachers anyway.
The first days of school should be about showing off all that individuality, not covering up or squeezing into a mold to fit in.
Embracing yourself is the best way to not just become a rock-star learner, but tomorrow's leader. So whether you can rap, spell really long words, or just rock neon green socks, remember that it's details like these that help make you unforgettable.