Is it just us, or do kids just seem to listen better when their teachers combine instruction with their (questionable, for some) musical talent? Recently teacher Robyn E. posed this very question in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook: “Who else bursts into song in the classroom?” Here are some of their hilarious responses along with the top reasons why so many teachers sing in the classroom.
We sing to drive home the lessons
I do it all the time. It’s especially fun when I’m teaching volume to my geometry students and start singing, “It’s all about that bass…” —MK
For polls, multiple choice questions, etc. I sing “Make your selection, your selection, your selection, make your selection on your laptop screen” (parodied from the opening menu of the “Finding Nemo”). —DC
When I’m reminding students to work on their “do now” I might end up singing, “Do now, do now, not later do it now…” (sung to the tune of a Les Mis song) —SM
We sing to remind students of EVERYthing
I sing-song “Do the do now, now” to that weird jingle from the Seinfeld show. —JM
A lot of times, some students just don’t realize they are reading out loud. So I sing the words “in your head” from Zombie by the Cranberries (or Bad Wolves). It’s a gentle reminder, and allows for a quick reset. —AT
All. The. Time. LOL! I sing about getting lunchboxes and water bottles, about the order to put on snow gear, and of course about starting to write letters at the top. —KC
We sing to connect with our students
Recently I called on a student (6th grade all virtual) and he didn’t respond so I sang “Xxx are you there?” He sang back, “Yes I am!” It was awesome. —JA
After a recess filled with drama I’ve been known to bust out “Let it Go” or “Shake it Off.” —CL
I do sing to my students, terribly. Usually when I want them to do something or when I need their attention I will sing it to them. I’m just a horrible singer and it gets their attention. —RW
We sing to lighten the mood
If my phone rings, I sing “The phone! The phone is ringing!” I teach high school and some of them still remember it. —EL
I still sing the Bubble Guppies lunch song and also the Line Up song every day when we leave the room. —AC
I sing stupid rhymes, phrases, and cheers. At the end of the day, I’m cheering G. GO. Everybody Go! Go Home, Go Home, Everybody Go Home! —RZ
We sing to get their attention
My latest was in metric conversions, moving the decimal “to the left, to the left—everything you own in a box to the left.” —PC
I sing “Swoop, there it is” for moving decimals. —LW
I am the absolute worst; my middle school students tell me I am “cringey” all the time. To me, it signals they are paying attention. I eagerly admit that I absolutely cannot sing, and encourage them to show me up. —AF
We sing whether we have singing talent or not
If a student is struggling and has a breakthrough, I belt out ‘This Girl Is On Fire’ but with the student’s name. ‘Tay-lor is on fiiiiiiiiire!!!’ They always act embarrassed but I think they actually love it. —KU
When there is no answer or comment from the class, I bust out with Pink Floyd “Is there anybody out there?” from The Wall. —SM
When that one student asks “why” at the most inconvenient moment and it’s really trivial, I sing “Sometimes, because I said so, is good enough…sometimes, because I said so, is all you get…” then I drag it on and the whole class is laughing. —MB
We sing to reveal the kooky side of our personality
I teach Pre-K and sing the “Cuppy Cake” song first thing every morning-it sets the tone for the day. When I have a child that comes in really upset or sad, I sing the “I love you” song and you can just feel the tension leave their body. I love making up songs and singing with my students. —RS
I had a Marius and always found myself singing from Les Mis!! —KS
I absolutely sing all the time! When I am teaching photosynthesis and cellular respiration, I sing “The Circle of Life.” I sing all sorts of other stuff where appropriate! “Let it Go” is a favorite. —KC
We sing to make things stick in their brains
When we used Fundations, they did chaining (making words). One day I started singing “Chain, chain, chain, chain of fools.” After that the kids did it. It ended up being “Chain those sounds.” —JM
I sing the Barney Clean up song to my high school kids when they are cleaning up labs. —JF
I sing Emily Dickinson poetry to several carols, hymns, and to “The Yellow Rose of Texas.” —JB
“If you wanted the grade, then you should’ve put a name on it.” —LG
Sometimes we sing just to be irreverent
Some of my greatest hits with my middle schoolers: “Scoot your boot and get to class,” “We’ll miss you when you’re gone but first you have to leave,” and, of course, “Zeroes are easy to GRAAAADE!” (Sung to encourage them to put their names on their work.) —AN
No one wants to talk during virtual learning so I’ll sing, “One is the loneliest number” or “All by myself.” —NH
I can’t sing on key for anything so when my kiddos won’t settle down I say, “Don’t make me hurt your ears…” and I’ll start humming the latest of their favorites. They giggle, share a nod, and get right to work. (One student will usually add, “I’ve heard her sing…shhhhh!” to any skeptics in the room.) —LM
And of course, we sing to make them laugh
I used to sing, “Do You Want to Build A Snowman” to one of my boys when he was angry and he would laugh instantly. Once he said, just let me stay mad for a moment. —MN
Before the pandemic, if a kid fell asleep in class, I would creep up to their desk and belt “Oklahoma” at the top of my lungs. Everyone got a laugh, even the sleeper once they got over their embarrassment. And it rarely happened more than once. —KA
All the time! “Y’all gon’ make me lose my mind…” 15 years ago I had a 3rd grader who knew the song and he got up and started dancing. It was pretty epic. No one knows it anymore though. —Melissa P.
I sing the Jeopardy! theme when wait time runs too long. —MG
Do you find yourself breaking out into song in your classroom? Please share in the comments! For more teacher humor, be sure to subscribe to our newsletters.
Plus, 14 Hilarious Teachers on TikTok.
