Episode 11: Picture Day

I got the idea for this song right in the middle of … you guessed it … picture day when I was teaching 4th grade. One of the boys in my class refused to come into the classroom because his mom made him wear “church clothes” for the school picture. Honestly, he didn’t look that much different than how he normally dressed, but the main difference was that he was wearing loafers instead of sneakers. For some reason, my imagination went wild and by the time I got home that afternoon the song was pretty much written in my head. I probably could have messed around with the lyrics a little more, but I just liked how they sounded like the stream-of-consciousness coming from a frustrated 10-year old. I think this is also why so many people have liked the song over the years.

When everything in our society changed several weeks back, I had this inexplainable pull to do something different. As I tried to help my own children with their learning from home, I kept wondering what I would do in a time like this if I was still teaching elementary school. The more I thought about it, the more I was convinced I would do what I did best when I was teaching … connect to my students through music. I was not really that great of a teacher, but I was successful in creating a sense of community in my classroom. Music and books were the conduits by which I formed those bonds, and my main goal in sharing these songs was an attempt to recreate that experience. Selfishly, I have enjoyed reliving this part of my life and reminiscing about the singing and laughter and smiles we shared so many years ago. I hope you have had as much fun listening to the songs as I have had sharing them.