Inspiring words from a frustrated student

My goal for this post is to write about something that inspires me.  To illustrate my inspiration, I want to share two videos.  The first video speaks for itself.  I do not condone the behavior of the student but I genuinely believe that he has a valid point.  His message carries merit but his delivery was poorly timed and disrespectful.  Meet Jeff Bliss... (posted by YouTube user rahmathek15)

First and foremost, I don’t want that to ever happen in my class or yours.  If it does, you, me, we probably need a long hard look in the mirror.  The old saying “from the mouths of babes...” is all too often true.  If you “teach” by handing out packets, you’re not a teacher, you’re an overpaid babysitter.  This much of his rant cannot be swept aside as an outburst of teenage angst.  His point is powerful.  Be a teacher.  Be inspiring.  Interact with your students.  Make your students think critically.  Be a teacher.  Make them want to come back to your class every day.  Be a teacher.  Don’t be an overpaid babysitter.

The second video is one of those gems that YouTube members generate periodically that go viral.  It didn’t go as viral as I and my colleagues think it should, but perhaps we’re easily amused.  The Jeff Bliss rant has been “songified” (yes, I just made that up) and it is sonic gold.  (posted by YouTube user Bill Ghedi)

The take away here is the hook of the songified rant:  Touch His Freakin’ Heart.  It has become the battle cry, the calling card, the inside joke, the motivation for my social studies department.  We ask one another, “Did you touch some freakin’ hearts today?”  We talk about certain students in terms of “that’s a kid who needs his freakin’ heart touched.”  It’s comical, yes, but it’s also a serious point that we try to employ every day.  Stuart Smalley had his daily affirmation and now we have ours:  You gotta come in here, you gotta make ‘em excited, you gotta touch some freakin’ hearts.

When August rolls back around, don’t let a day go by that you don't try your best to touch some freakin’ hearts.