A Grade 4 teacher in Chicago wanted to do something original to get students excited about the oft-dreaded return to class. So Dwayne Reed picked up a mic, dropped the beat and recorded a rap for his incoming cohort of kids.
So Dwayne Reed picked up a mic, dropped the beat and recorded a rap for his incoming cohort of kids.
The song features Reed crooning over a soft rhythm as he raps in autotune: “I’m from Chicago / I love eatin’ pizza / I’m dressed to impressed / but I still rock sneakers.”
“I was just so very tired of the, ‘Hi, welcome back,’ boring newsletter. I wanted to spice it up,” Reed told CTV News Channel on Saturday. “I wanted them to be excited to come to class, at least for the first day.”
Reed dresses up as Albert Einstein in the video, reads a “Captain Underpants” book and attempts to get students pumped about math.
“We’ll study mathematics / division and adding / and don’t forget fractions / we’re going to have a good time,” he sings.
It appears the excitement over Reed’s video has swelled far outside his classroom. A video of Reed’s rap was posted on YouTube last week and has since garnered more than 630,000 views.
Reed said it wasn’t his intention to go viral, and he has decided to put the positive attention to good use by accepting donations for the Jane Stenson Elementary School.
“It just doesn’t make sense for me to garner all this fame and notoriety and not give back. It’s worthless unless I do something with it,” he said.
Asked about his musical influences, Reed said he’s a former Kanye West fan who now prefers the jazzy melodies of singer-songwriter John Mayer.
“I like music that is really, really authentic -- that’s real,” he said.
The teacher MC said he may have more videos in the works, and he hopes to include students in future projects.
“I would love to do another song, maybe even more videos, not only just by myself but with my students, getting them involved, because ultimately it is about them, not me. I’m just a regular guy,” he said.
