A Different Spin

Steve Massengill

Several weeks ago I read the Tip of the Week titled “Broken Record,” which served as a reminder that lesson length should correlate with student attention and focus. Although this is very true, the title of that tip took my thinking in a different direction. As I was reading it, I couldn’t help but think that rather than considering what we say over and over a broken record, one might think of it as playing that record over and over until everyone knows the words and tune by heart.

Can you relate to playing your favorite song over and over because you just couldn’t get enough of it or couldn’t remember that one part of the lyrics? And then that song stayed in your head. All. Day. Long. 

This is what we do as we revisit topics over and over in staff development sessions and in the classroom. As a principal I am sure my teachers think, How many times are you going to talk about that? And to this question I would answer emphatically . . . “Until everyone knows it by heart.” You see, we are on a mission to make our school a shining example of what hard work, in the right direction, can do for students. We will not stop until we meet this goal and our students show a marked increase in their achievement, and this oftentimes requires repetition and practice until we get it right. So, let’s play that record again and again. It’s not broken. It’s a great record, and sooner or later we will all know it by heart. 

Now I am going to go pull out some of those old 45s I used to love. Then, I’ll play that favorite track on the B-side of the LP, pop in an eight-track, rewind a few cassettes after they get stuck in the player, insert some CDs, and, finally, pull up my playlist on Apple Music, Pandora, or Spotify. Wow! I am old! :) 

Those of you interested in reading “Broken Record,” Take 1, will find it here.