Legendary book blogger and high school teacher Paul Hankins sent me a wonderful draft of this. He wrote all the best parts. I finished it while jogging in a parking lot in Texas and realized it was a song that says what many teachers feel. We don't need "rigged, rigor," in schools but "real rigor," which I would call, VIGOR!. Repeat after me, VIGOR NOT RIGOR!
lyrics
Superficialunrealisticrigorisattrocious
yet so many education reformers propose this.
if you drill them hard enough they'll stay upon their toes-es, Superficialunrealisticrigorisattrocious.
We shouldn't be afraid to speak
when policies seem bad.
We have the best democracy
the world has ever had.
Why do they keep on scolding us
on how we run our class.
Take those mandates and those tests annnnnddddd.........
Help us stay on Task Oh,
Superficialunrealisticrigorisattrocious
What qualifies you to be the education Moses.
Testing is not teaching,
we don't buy the mass hypnosis.
Superficialunrealisticrigorisattrocious
We knew this child named Billy,
his life had not been kind.
He was a child destined to be left
far, far, far behind.
A caring teacher came one day
and reached this little boy.
Now reading, writing 'rithmetic,
is this lads pride and joy ohhhh,
Super teachers always know connection is where hope is,
Let them guide their classrooms with a student centered focus.
Please untie their hands and lose this data hocus locus.
Super teachers always know connection is where hope is.
Real rigor, rigor rigor,
Real rigor, rigor, rigor
Real rigor, rigor , rigor
Rigorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Super teachers always know connection is where hope is.
Super teachers always know connection is where hope is.
if you're feeling sad we hope this song will help you cope with...
Superficialunrealisticrigorisattrocious!
credits
from More Than A Number: Songs for Sane Schools,
released May 12, 2013
Words by Paul Hankins and Barry Lane . Performed by Barry Lane in front of a live audience in Edcouch Elsa , Texas.
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