Have you watched The Greatest Showman?
My family loved the movie. Amazing visuals. Inspiring story.
And those catchy tunes…they get stuck in your head!
So one day last week, as I was building or fixing something, I was listening to the song “The Other Side” from the soundtrack. And I seriously said, out loud, “Hey, this song is all about STEM education!”
(Full Disclosure: I don’t ALWAYS think about STEM while watching movies & listening to songs…but if they remind me of STEM, which they sometimes do, of course I’m going to point it out)
So, ladies and gentlemen, this is the moment you’ve been waiting for…
“Right here, right now, I put the offer out, I don’t want to chase you down, I know you see it, You run with me, And I can cut you free, Out of the drudgery and walls you keep in…”
Does teaching sometimes feel like a drudgery? Or do you have barriers to trying something new in your classroom? Do you wish your classroom culture was something that breaks through walls?
“…So trade that typical for something colorful, And if it’s crazy, live a little crazy
You can play it sensible, a king of conventional, Or you can risk it all and see…”
One thing I can guarantee, if you walk into a STEM or STEAM classroom (or a Makerspace), there will be noise, color, and creativity. It may even feel a little crazy. That’s a good thing. The world is full of consumers and creators. Which do you want your kids to be?
“Don’t you wanna get away from the same old part you gotta play
‘Cause I got what you need, so come with me and take the ride
It’ll take you to the other side
‘Cause you can do like you do, Or you can do like me
Stay in the cage, or you’ll finally take the key…”
If you haven’t added some STEM ideas and activities to your everyday classroom, I’m guessing its because you’re hesitant to risk your status quo. It might be tough. It might require admitting to the students you don’t know everything. It might require changing your lesson plans.
“…Oh, damn! Suddenly you’re free to fly, It’ll take you to the other side…”
I gotta tell you, it’s awesome here on the other side where kids are free to fly with their ideas & feel inspired!
“Okay, my friend, you want to cut me in, Well I hate to tell you, but it just won’t happen
So thanks, but no, I think I’m good to go, ‘Cause I quite enjoy the life you say I’m trapped in, Now I admire you, and that whole show you do, You’re onto something, really it’s something…”
I hope you don’t feel trapped in education. If you do, you might want to consider finding a job that better fits your qualities.
“…But I live among the swells, and we don’t pick up peanut shells, I’ll have to leave that up to you…”
Yes, our floors do get messier than “normal” classroom floors. Everyday we pick up cardboard, paper, paperclips, tools, beads, dried glue, blocks, dice, and dozens of other “creations” the kids have made. It’s called innovating and iteration. Imagine a world where the first version was the only version. The first car, the first tv, the first smartphone? I’m very happy we keep trying & improving.
“…Don’t you know that I’m okay with this uptown part I get to play, ‘Cause I got what I need and I don’t want to take the ride, I don’t need to see the other side
So go and do like you do, I’m good to do like me, Ain’t in a cage, so I don’t need to take the key
Oh, damn! Can’t you see I’m doing fine, I don’t need to see the other side…”
Maybe you’ve seen education buzzwords & trends before. You’re not swayed by what everyone’s saying. I understand. But this time, it’s different. STEM is part of everything. It’s not just rocket science and math nerds. STEM is part of everything. Farmers are using drones and robots. Journalists need to know how to update websites. Politicians need to know how to not get their phones and emails hacked. And just wait, soon robotic machinery will work alongside everyone.
“…Now is this really how you like to spend your days? Whiskey and misery, and parties and plays…”
I’ll skip discussing that one…especially if you’re reading this on a Friday after a crazy week at school.
“…If I were mixed up with you, I’d be the talk of the town, Disgraced and disowned, another one of the clowns, But you would finally live a little, finally laugh a little, Just let me give you the freedom to dream…”
We may be nerdy, but we’re proud of it. We’re not afraid to make geek chic. When people laugh, we laugh right along, because we know our kids are getting an education to take them to everywhere they want to go!
“…And it’ll wake you up and cure your aching, Take your walls and start ’em breaking
Now that’s a deal that seems worth taking, But I guess I’ll leave that up to you…”
No one can force you to like STEM. But it will help you laugh a little (or a lot) and your kids will laugh too. They might even say how much they enjoyed your class today!
“…Well it’s intriguing, but to go would cost me greatly, So what percentage of the show would I be taking? Fair enough, you’d want a piece of all the action, I’d give you seven, we could shake and make it happen. I wasn’t born this morning, eighteen would be just fine. Why not just go ahead and ask for nickels on the dime. Fifteen. I’d do eight. Twelve. Maybe nine. Ten.”
Make a compromise. Just try a little STEM. Add one idea or activity to your classroom every month. Pretty soon it’ll be every week. And watch out, it just might turn into an everyday thing.
“Don’t you wanna get away to a whole new part you’re gonna play
‘Cause I got what you need, so come with me and take the ride, To the other side
So if you do like I do, So if you do like me
Forget the cage, ’cause we know how to make the key
Oh, damn! Suddenly we’re free to fly, We’re going to the other side.”
Good luck on the other side!
And if you ever need a little help to fly, I’m here for you.
Songwriters: Justin Paul / Benj Pasek
The Other Side lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Fox Music, Inc
