A response to "Worlds apart just like earth just like the sun"
A Broadway and musical lover
myself, I had never heard “Worlds Apart” from Big River The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn (1985). The
lyrics themselves contain so much meaning, heart, and truth in them. When I
watched the video production I felt as though the lyrics were intensified.
Seeing the actor’s expression and emotions brought the lyrics to life in a
different way than just hearing them.
I interpreted “Worlds Apart” as a
dialogue between a student and a teacher. While we may see the same things that
our students do: the sun, the moon, the news, we interpret them differently. We
all come from different generations, and those generations can be worlds apart both
figuratively and literally. The experiences from our childhood that help mold
and shape us, may be very different than the experiences our students
have. But, at a high level we too
went to a school, played on a playground, etc. We share many similar
experiences, but the journey to which we reach them is completely different.
I also interpreted “worlds apart”
as a way to say you don’t understand me. Often times, children, especially
middle schoolers say “But you just don’t understand!” And we probably don’t
because we aren’t living life in their shoes, with their obstacles, with their
hardships. These lyrics really remind us teachers, to stop and try and walk
through life from our students’ perspective. It awakens us to learn about the
things that are important to them, and the struggles they are facing. The more
we know about our students (their home life, their interests & passions),
the better teachers we will be.
I am glad that you enjoyed the short video clip I put on the post because it does help tell the story. There is something about visuals and pictures that add to text and I guess that is the reason why I like graphic novels so much.
ReplyDeleteI like how you interpreted “Worlds Apart” as a dialogue between a teacher and a student. I think you are so correct talking about their experiences and how they shape them and how we may have shared similar ones at sometime as well. Similar experiences but maybe not the same ones.
Again, I agree with your second interpretation of “Worlds Apart.” Many YAs think that others don’t understand “me” and sometimes middle school kids feel very alone and think many adults don’t understand where “I'm coming from.” This can be particularly true even though they are not alone – but that they feel alone.
I am glad that you can connect the lyrics of the songs to being a teacher and hope you will turn to Broadway frequently as a teacher. Go Broadway!