Terrance Sims may be a new math instructor at Milwaukee Excellence Charter but he’s already everyone’s favorite. He uses hip-hop to inspire his students to keep learning.
“I just started at this school this year, and when I got there, I wanted the kids to know right away that this was my approach to teaching,” Sims told ABC News. “So I wrote an introductory rap at the start of the school year to get them hooked in. The ball got rolling, and they started adding for lyrics. It catapulted to what it is today.”
Sims and his 6th-grade class made a music video called ‘Excellence First!’ with a beat borrowed from Detroit rapper Tee Grizzley. He wrote the first draft of lyrics and the kids quickly added their own. The lyrics riff on the importance of education and why you should be excited to learn.
The video broke the Internet – click play to see why.
“Michelle Obama showed me how to do it. So I’mma get it. Educated, motivated, melanated, elevated. got big shoes to fill, so I’ll do it with class,” one student raps on verse two.
The lead rappers are Aryn Fears and Savannah Patterson, who both have a 3.7+ GPAs. Fears and Patterson hope to become a singer and a lawyer, respectively.
Jada Pinkett Smith and Michelle Obama replied in praise.
“Young Queens – Stay focused,” Michelle Obama commented on the video
There are 240 kids in the school, which Sims says means there are 240 more stories to tell. So, stay tuned for more inspo.
“I think, especially when you look at African-Americans in school, there’s a strong stereotype that they’re not supposed to be successful, but that is so far from the truth,” he told ABC News.
