An Atlanta-area teacher thought it would be a good idea to use some of rapper Kodak Black’s lyrics as a homework assignment.
According to WSB-TV in Atlanta, a sixth-grade teacher at Bethune Cookman Middle School in DeKalb County sent students home with a homework assignment where they were supposed to recreate rap lyrics with their own words and create a positive message. The song assigned?
A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s “Drowning” featuring Kodak Black:
The song is very popular and has more than 100 million views on Youtube. The theme of the song is a familiar one about coming from nothing, making money and changing your life. One of the more “positive” lines in the song comes from A Boogie when he says, “I’m gon’ win a Grammy, move my family out the projects.” But the song also has its fair share of sexually suggestive lyrics as well as gun and drug references. While “Drowning” is far from being the most explicit song out right now, it probably isn’t the best selection for impressionable sixth graders.
When parents saw that their kids were assigned the song as homework, some complained and as a result the teacher responsible was “removed” from the classroom according to a statement from DeKalb County Superintendent Steve Green.
Per WSB:
“The assignment was inappropriate, unacceptable and contrary to our standards. The employee responsible has been removed from the classroom and will be held accountable for such poor judgment. While we encourage teacher creativity, the expectation is that the instruction is always standards-based and age appropriate.”
The teen staff at VOX always have something to say about music, whether they are writing reviews or interviewing popular artists. So we asked them to chime in on this hilarious, but unfortunate, event.
Nya, 17: I don’t really get the point of shying away from lyrics like that. When in actuality most of those kids hear worse at home, online, and even from peers at times. Sure, the teacher may be in the wrong, but I highly doubt [he] introduced them to this music or that type of language. The teacher is taking something they probably already knew of and trying to have them see it in a positive way by making them rewrite the lyrics. So, while they could have choosen another song or course of action, the parents should stop acting like this is something so crazy or foreign to show them, and back down a bit.
This article was compiled by VOX’s Publishing Manager.
