Since the first week of school, the English department has been dancing in the hallways every Friday before school starts, whether it’s the “Whip Nae Nae”, “Cheerleader” or the “Slide Shuffle”. It’s a way to pump up students and get excited about school spirit.
“The big thing is we have students come out and join us or watch us, and kinda dance in the hallway in ways that I don’t see kids making connections with their teachers any other times.” English teacher Kirsten Mulligan said “I have a kid who never really said much to me and has a hard time making connections with his teachers, he danced several songs with us. If that’s a connection then we [will be able to] reach out to some [more] kids.”
The English department dances every Friday during the passing between periods, and are hoping to gain more participation from students. They take their time to have some fun, interact with students and be silly, showing students that there is another side to them outside of work. This interaction gives teachers a break from their everyday grading and assignments.
“For five minutes we can have fun and be silly.” Mulligan said “I’m not in any way a good dancer, but I love to dance! I think our students like to us be silly.”
Seeing teachers have fun and be silly gives students the sense that teachers, too, can be lively and entertaining. They might come across as strict or serious, but to see a different side to them gives us a different perspective of who they really are.
“We do practice the dance routines off of Youtube,” English teacher Rebecca Swiatek said. “We switch between classrooms, on our off periods to practice.”