This week’s reading, ” Turn Up That Radio, Teacher: Popular Cultural Pedagogy in New Century Urban Schools” was so relevant for me.  I have only just begun to aspire to be this type of “postmodern, critical educational leader,” which the article challenges us to be.  And unfortunately, the student that inspired me to be more Pomo sat in ISS today because I finally wrote him up for constant disruptive and obstinate behavior.  Although I always try to make my class engaging, I’m clearly not reaching all of my students.

This article describes pop culture as a type of powerful, but underutilized intervention and a way to “reconnect with the otherwise disenfranchised.”  However, it also addresses the challenge of existing curricula, “taught under a guise of standards and rigor, that lacks immediate relevance to students’ lives.”  I definitely feel this with our looming “interim” taks-style test, which takes place every six weeks.  Additionally, I worry that I’m out of touch and frankly disinterested in pop culture.  And I’m only 27!   I’ve never really been in touch with pop culture per say, yet now I need to purposefully embed myself in the “mass culture” in order to please my students.  If I weren’t so desperate for my students to be productive and successful in my classroom, I might give up now.  But of course, it isn’t really about me.  Not really.  And, I do like hip-hop even if I’m not well versed.  And, The teacher from “Feeling the Rhythm of the Critically Conscience Mind” quoted the ol’  “If you can’t beat them join them.”  In this case I have to agree.

I love the point “Turn Up that Radio” makes that “There is a need for educators who continue to practice with vision, wit, creativity, courage, and imagination, in an era of standardized tests and “teacher-proof” curricula.”  To me, if a teacher is not at least trying to practice in this manner, he/she should not be teaching.  And equally if not more importantly, all the yahoos involved in the tests and curricula need to to reevaluate their use of novelty as well.