Two South Georgia teachers have attempted to bring hip-hop flare to the (arguably) uncool circumstance of distance learning in the midst of a health pandemic.
Monroe Comprehensive High School teachers, Adrianna Williams and Callie Evans, have garnered millions of video views for their remix of Jack Harlow’s “What’s Poppin?”
The teachers, based in Albany, speak to being resilient in this uncertain time of the ever-present COVID-19 and teaching with “swag” even from Chromebooks and other digital devices. The videos dropped on the school system’s first day of virtual school Tuesday.
Williams 53-second portion of the video had more than 4 million views as of Wednesday evening. Several Twitter users gave the witty, hip-hop ditty props Wednesday, including rap legend Missy Elliott, who responded to the tweet with fire emojis. The school’s cheerleading squad also appeared in 2-minute video.
“Brand new year and I'm locked in/As far as this teaching go, I am unreachable. I am number one in your top 10/ Miss Williams, big poppin. 2020 new school year dropping/No COVID-19. When it come to me, ain't no stopping," are some of the lyrics to Williams' viral verse.
Evans said they chose the song because it’s very popular with their students.
“We wanted to meet them where they were, just to get them excited about virtual learning because some may feel kind of nervous or upset,” Evans told Fox 31 in Albany, Georgia. “We just wanted to show them you can still have a good time and be ready to learn, virtually.”
Williams told the news station that she hoped to galvanize her students about a year that will likely be like no other. She and Evans are also encouraging students to make their own “What’s Poppin” remix to keep the school spirit coming.
“It’s about the students and getting them excited for school and getting them excited about their teachers and where they are and exuding school pride where they are,” said Williams. “So, if the teachers hopped on they can do their own what’s poppin’ challenge and get the whole city excited.”
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