Back-to-school time means the return of sketches and songs put together by not-yet-exhausted educators still enthusiastic about the months to come. Last year it was those teachers singing Les Mis at a district staff meeting. This year it’s first-time Chicago teacher Dwayne Reed welcoming his fourth-graders with a rap. Reed sent out the sleekly produced video in place of a “welcome back” email to his students and their parents.
The whole thing is sweet and fun without crossing over into being embarrassing, which is a pretty big feat for a teacher filming a music video. Reed establishes not only what his students will be learning that year (science! fractions! English!) but also that he wants his classroom to be a place of hard work, respect, and positivity. The catchy “Welcome To The 4th Grade” can be downloaded for free on Reed’s Bandcamp page. Presumably his mid-year follow-up, “I Need A Break From The 4th Grade,” will be just as charming.
