Kanye in the Classroom? Should Teachers Be Allowed to Be as Creative as Possible to Engage Students?

Fourth grade teacher Adrian Perez decided to try something new to engage his students in the new school year. The Mendota, California teacher figured that a Kanye West-themed classroom would do the trick. 

According to his interview with Team Kanye Daily (yup, it’s real), on the first day of class, parents and children were greeted by Perez dressed in a plaid button up shirt and Yeezy-inspired sunglasses. The classroom door was painted a vibrant red with  a sign that read, “Welcome to the Good Life,” (a lyric from West’s song, “Good Life,” featuring T-Pain). Also on the door was West’s infamous ‘Dropout’ mascot bear, donning a graduation cap. ‘Dropout’ is known as Yeezy’s mascot character introduced in his very first album, The College Drop Out.

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“I was able to use Kanye’s song/lyrics to come up with these ideas, and they were also school/classroom friendly. I used the bear and the Yeezus cover for the majority of the decor. I used a different bear for each section and poster. I used the Yeezus cover for several other parts of the class (class jobs, groups and folders).” said Perez, who says that he wants “to be the Kanye West of teaching.”

Students in Perez’s classroom would be assigned tasks on the “New Job Flow” board and have their writing displayed on the “Story of a Champion” board. However, to Perez’s disappointment, parents were not pleased. They made phone calls and sent emails to the school administration, complaining about the unconventionally themed classroom. Thus, the school administration stripped the classroom of all Kanye related items.

So what do you think? Should teachers be allowed to be as creative as possible to inspire and engage children? Or is a traditional lesson plan all that’s needed? Sound off below. 

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