Sing (or Rap) for Your Supper

Last night we took our daughter to see "Waiting for Superman", the documentary by filmmaker Davis Guggenheim that brilliantly illustrates the sad state of our public school system. If you haven't seen it I would like to suggest that you take your kids pronto. It is at the same time depressing, enlightening, and inspiring. I personally feel an urgent need to be part of the solution.

At one point in the film we see a teacher who, in her desire to connect important math concepts to her students, makes up or composes a rap number/song as a teaching device. This technique not only connects every single one of her students to the material; they love it! The students then continue to repeat the math rap on the playground. Can you say light bulb? And hear bells going off: ding, ding, ding?

I must confess the success of this idea doesn't surprise me for a few reasons:

1). Music is mathematical, and math is musical (Remember "Inch Worm" from Hans Christian Anderson? 2 + 2 is 4, 4 + 4 is 8, 8 + 8 is 16, 16 and 16 is 32.)

2.) Kids love music and singing and, hello, you don't need a great voice to rap, just a brain and a fast talking kid! It's just another version of jump rope rhymes!

And 

3.) When our daughter was little I sang everything to her. I made up songs for getting up in the morning. I made up songs about going to school. I made up songs about going to the doctor. I made up songs about food. When I did these silly songs she loved it! She would ask me to sing them over and over again. She would ask me to help her rhyme. I was just fun game. I still make up rhymes and rhythms to help her when she is studying for a test.

The beautiful thing about singing information of any kind is that is makes the learning part feel effortless and fun and, seriously, who doesn’t want to have fun when they are learning.

So, the next time your child is having a little difficulty with retaining information try turning that information into lyrics. You will learn what they are learning and have a little educational bonding moment. Yes, this takes time and patience especially when you are exhausted, but, the benefits of staying present and being creative with our children's education is beyond measure.

It's going to take some time to undo the damage of our public school system and I believe it will change for the better. In the meantime, we are the Supermen and Superwomen in our children's lives. They are waiting for us!