The Path to Our Better Selves

As noted in the last post, kids today are a mess. That is, all the kids except the ones that I get to work with. Because after two weeks of work with kids in Taiwan, two days in Macau, guest classes in San Francisco and Clarksville, Tennesee and soon, Toronto, Canada, I can testify to surprising news: Kids are doing great!! And I’m including 8th graders here!!! They’re all absolutely fabulous and I love them!   Really? Given everything I said yesterday, how can this be?    Back in early February, I told the surprising story of the boy who, after a single class with me, rushed off to his locker and came back to give me a valuable Pokemon “Special Energy” card to thank me. It is my beloved “Honorary Doctorate” testimony that I value much more than any PhD degree. I’m considering putting my own initials after my name— "Doug Goodkin SEPC" to advertise that I have earned the Special Energy Pokemon Card degree bequeathed to me by that most important of people— a child.    As much as I treasure it, it’s not something to frame in my office (don’t have one and never have— my “office” all those years at The SF School was the top of the piano). It’s something I now carry with me in my wallet to remind me that I must earn it anew in each class with children. Which is precisely what seems to be happening.    For a few days ago, when doing a 90-minute guest class with a combination of choir and band 8th graders at Richview Middle School in Clarksville, leading them through a children’s game called Lemonade, Crunchy Ice, there was not a single moment when they weren’t happily engaged. I began in a circle with the 30 plus kids and without a word, began to teach a tricky body percussion pattern that led to a children’s clapping game with partners —“Lemonade clap-clap-clap, Crunchy Ice clap-clap-clap…” Once they learned the whole game, they then performed the body percussion pattern four times while moving freely through the space. At the end, whoever was closest was a new partner.   There was one moment when I saw a big boy bumping into others as they moved around. I stopped momentarily and commented, “Well, I’m not going to mention any names, both because I don’t know them and I want to give someone a chance to do better without shaming him or her in front of the group. But I did notice someone not doing the body percussion and bumping into others and that’s not happy for anyone. So let’s see if this will change." And it did.    I also noticed that boys always chose boys and girls always chose girls. Surprise, surprise! So I said, “This time, the new rule is that a boy must choose a girl for a partner and a girl must chose a boy and if you’re non-binary, choose anyone.” And they did. Later, I found out that band and choir kids who often didn’t talk to each other also found themselves being partners and boom!—another victory!   Finally, we played the game as a staring contest. At the end, on “1-2-3-Freeze!” they had to take a shape and look their partner in the eye. The first one to move was “out” and then both sat down. When there were eight or so partner-couples left, the others could get up and without touching anyone, see if they could make them laugh. On it went until there was the winning couple. Fun!   Then those “winning couples” went to the instruments to figure out how to play the simple melody we had been singing. They did while the others played their “air xylophones” and when they were ready, the orchestra played while the others played the game again, this time with more space on the stage to play it better. After several times through, we switched groups.  In both instrumental groups, I asked for volunteers to improvise with the four notes of the song and there was the chance to hear how they're thinking musically and to reveal a bit of their own way of hearing and feeling the music.    At the end, with a half-hour left, they sat down and I had them read the projected lyrics of the song  “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to be Free.” I asked them to raise their hand if they found any of them meaningful. Over half did and I commented, “Art never preaches to you and says ‘You must believe or appreciate this!’ It simply offers something for you to consider. Personally, I hope you agree with lyrics like 'I wish I could give all I’m longing to give, I wish I could live all I’m longing to live' because I happen to believe we all deserve that. That it's not okay when some people or a group of people tries to block us because of who they think we are before they even know us or what freedom they think we deserve because someone once told them only they deserved those freedoms. All the song is asking is for you to think about it. It’s your choice. But poetic words like this mean even more when they’re married to music. Let’s listen to someone named Nina Simone sing this song (here I showed a Youtube video) and then sing it ourselves.”   And that’s exactly what we did. They were with me every step of the way. And when I read to them from my Jazz, Joy & Justice  book about the struggles Nina Simone had, they listened with the full measure of their attention. They heard of her courage when she was about to give a concert at the age of 12 and the concert producers made her parents sit in the back row because they (and Nina) were black. How she refused to perform unless they were moved to the front row. And they were.    In today’s topsy-turvy world, I would have to be very brave to teach the above in Tennessee knowing I could be fired for telling the truth. But what could they do to me? Deport me? So be it. Meanwhile, I gave those kids a glimpse of something that might be memorable for a long time to come. Both the grand fun of the Lemonade game, the soulful singing of Nina Simone, the story about the struggle for justice and work to end racism.    At the end of class, I stood at the door to give each child a farewell fist bump and one boy chose instead to shake my hand and look me in the eye and say with a sincerity most teachers don’t believe they have, “Thank you. That was really something.” From then on, it was handshakes all the way down the line.   So my friends, 8th graders are not universally “a mess.” If you give them something worthy of their time and attention, show them you believe in their possibility and musicality and social grace and caring, lo and behold, they rise to the occasion and prove it’s true. I’m not naïve— not necessarily everyone and not necessarily in the first class and kudos to these kids’ music teachers who already established that sense of respect and decorum. But in my experience, if you’ve done the work to know how to teach well and have the courage to speak the truth and believe in their better selves and understand how to draw it out, they will fulfill your predictions. And a few will rush to their lockers to bring you a treasured Pokemon card to let you know how much they needed what you gave.   PS Yesterday, I went back to the school where I mentored a music teacher and worked some with his kids for two years. This was the first time in about a year that I returned and while locking my bike, I thought I heard this group chanting “Doug! Doug! Doug!” I turned around and there at the school’s entrance were some 20 boys waiting to go out who had recognized me and began chanting. They opened the door for me and one went down on his knees bowing to me. 8th grade BOYS, people! I thanked them for the warm welcome and as I walked on to the guest class I was going to teach, wondered if I should have filmed them to keep as a reminder in the dark days that I once had the power to affect kids like this. Not because I’m anyone special, but simply because I cared about them and knew how to help them care about themselves, about others, about the power of music and dance.    So, my friend, this SEPC music teacher wants to report that kids are both in trouble and a reason for a hopeful future. May we all give them precisely what they deeply need and richly deserve. May we all walk together on the path to our better selves.  PSS And let me be clear. The openness the kids in all these schools had to what I offered was possible because of the existing school culture and all their teachers who genuinely care about them and are walking their own path together with them to their better selves. In my experience, the teachers are also doing so much better than most are given credit for— at least the ones that I meet. So it's not about me, it's about the principles of how I organize class and think about kids that are shared by so many teachers nationwide. Just to be clear.