Back in the late 90s and early aughts I made a concerted effort to reacquaint myself with early adolescent culture. I had been teaching sixth grade for a few years, and I realized how out of touch I was, so I learned all the Spice Girls (Sporty, Baby, Scary, Ginger, and Posh) and the chorus of "Lose Yourself" by Eminem. I also taught myself to recognize all the members of The Backstreet Boys by name, face, and voice.
Over the years, all of these skills and knowledge have become less useful; not much evolves more quickly than middle school popularity. Imagine my delight this morning, then, when at our Pre-Thanksgiving Hot Chocolate Dance Party, my homeroom students requested not only the new Backstreet Boys single, but also the golden oldie, "Ain't Nothin but a Heartache".
You can bet I busted out my mad BSB skillz. "That's Nick!" I declared as the opening notes of the song floated from the speaker, "That's Kevin, then Brian, Howie, and AJ." I should have left it at that, because when we watched the video on YouTube, the students were much less impressed.
"They're so old!" one girl said.
"And ugly!" her friend added.
I must have looked a little crestfallen.
She patted my shoulder. "It's still a good song, though, Ms. S," she said kindly.
Over the years, all of these skills and knowledge have become less useful; not much evolves more quickly than middle school popularity. Imagine my delight this morning, then, when at our Pre-Thanksgiving Hot Chocolate Dance Party, my homeroom students requested not only the new Backstreet Boys single, but also the golden oldie, "Ain't Nothin but a Heartache".
You can bet I busted out my mad BSB skillz. "That's Nick!" I declared as the opening notes of the song floated from the speaker, "That's Kevin, then Brian, Howie, and AJ." I should have left it at that, because when we watched the video on YouTube, the students were much less impressed.
"They're so old!" one girl said.
"And ugly!" her friend added.
I must have looked a little crestfallen.
She patted my shoulder. "It's still a good song, though, Ms. S," she said kindly.
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