"Rainbow Connection" - Kermit The Frog (The Muppet Movie)
This song came to mind over 4-months ago, but at the time I didn't know what to write about so I just left it lost in my drafts until now. It popped back in my head after a very old friend posted a very old picture of us the other day on Facebook. We were standing side by side against a wall full of kids' drawings. He was wearing a yellow-striped shirt while I was dressed in red and white. I look like a candy cane; a happy candy cane at that, complete with a red clip over my mushroom-cut hair and the cheesiest smile on my face. Yet sadly, I don't even remember taking this picture at all. Beneath the Polaroid was the date 1984/5, his name, my name, the name of our teacher and the wrong school crossed out with the right school written just above it. I stared at it for a long minute and thought, "Wow even though the memory of this left me, it was definitely me alright...a me I had almost forgotten about until I saw this picture."
I dreaded my childhood school years. I've had a pretty strict upbringing and being stuck in a school with little cultural diversity didn't make it any easier. I was never the coolest, the fastest, or the funnest kid in my class and I was constantly reminded of this everyday. But this photo made me realize that for some reason, I only allowed myself to keep these horrible memories alive and rarely did I replay the ones that actually weren't so bad. Hence, why I no longer remember them. And suddenly this song came back to mind. So, with that let me share with you one of the greatest moments during this not-so-great of a time. But first, I have to start off with the worst for you to understand my story.
An awful teacher bullied me during both my 1st and 2nd grade school year. She was a cruel, grumpy old woman with red lipstick on her teeth and a shaggy brown bob cut over her thick-black rimmed glasses. I didn't learn much with her since a good chunk of my time was spent trying to tolerate the grief of her existence. She always thought I spoke out of turn even when I rose my hand. She rolled her eyes whenever I had to read aloud and often requested that I "sit this one out because it'd be easier to move forward without me." I felt isolated and couldn't understand why she wouldn't let me just fit in.
I remember sitting in a circle during reading time when a beautiful, blond-haired teenage girl came in to say hi just when it was about to be my turn. I was so relieved not to have to endure the pain of this task, but at the same time all I kept thinking was, "How could this witch be anyone's favorite anything?" But then I saw my teacher do something I've never seen her do before. She jumped up, so full of excitement, and hugged her former student so tight I thought she'd burst! Something she's never done to me.
During my final year, it was announced that this same horrible woman would now be teaching 5th grade and low and behold, I was assigned to her class. I thought I'd get a break after all this time and felt it was so unfair that she was going to make me miserable once again. But half-way through the year, something funny happened. She was walking down the hall next to a leaky water fountain when she slipped over a puddle and tumbled a few steps down the stairs, terribly spraining her ankle. It was because of this injury that she wasn't able to finish the year. I know it's a bit unfortunate to admit, but I was so grateful to have her gone.
It was because of this accident that I met one of the best teachers of all. He was a tall, slender man with a mustache who wore flannel shirts and jeans. On the first day, he simply sat in front of our piano (that's never been played) and started to play. He didn't believe that everything had to be taught through books and writing assignments. He believed learning was an art and he taught us how to enjoy it. We sang, laughed, and began to feel a new excitement for school. So every morning and every afternoon, we dedicated ourselves to music. Towards the last couple of months, he pulled out this sheet music and taught us how to sing a song as a group. No favorites. No bullying. No difference. Just one class working together on one goal.
I never felt as strong as I did that day standing on that stage during our final ceremony. We were a team in front of a big audience which included our former evil teacher, and we sang our hearts out. I will never forget how proud our substitute was sitting on his piano bench and the sense of belonging I felt with my friends. I wanted to get the last laugh after so many years of trying to break through. And I finally did when everyone got up on their feet to applaud us as she grumbled in her seat next to her cane.
Lyrics:
Why are there so many,
Songs about rainbows,
And what's on the other side.
Rainbows are visions,
But only illusions,
Rainbows have nothing to hide.
What's so amazing,
That it keeps us star gazing?
And what do they think we might see?
Oh, someday we'll find it,
The Rainbow Connection,
The lovers, the dreamers, and me.
Have you been half asleep,
And have you heard the voices,
Well, I've heard them calling my name.
Is this the sweet sound,
That calls the young sailors,
Their voice might be one and the same.
I've heard it too many, many, times to ignore it,
And I think it might be.
Someday we'll find it,
The Rainbow Connection,
The lovers, the dreamers, and me.
http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics
http://misc.thefullwiki.org/The_Rainbow_Connection
This song came to mind over 4-months ago, but at the time I didn't know what to write about so I just left it lost in my drafts until now. It popped back in my head after a very old friend posted a very old picture of us the other day on Facebook. We were standing side by side against a wall full of kids' drawings. He was wearing a yellow-striped shirt while I was dressed in red and white. I look like a candy cane; a happy candy cane at that, complete with a red clip over my mushroom-cut hair and the cheesiest smile on my face. Yet sadly, I don't even remember taking this picture at all. Beneath the Polaroid was the date 1984/5, his name, my name, the name of our teacher and the wrong school crossed out with the right school written just above it. I stared at it for a long minute and thought, "Wow even though the memory of this left me, it was definitely me alright...a me I had almost forgotten about until I saw this picture."
I dreaded my childhood school years. I've had a pretty strict upbringing and being stuck in a school with little cultural diversity didn't make it any easier. I was never the coolest, the fastest, or the funnest kid in my class and I was constantly reminded of this everyday. But this photo made me realize that for some reason, I only allowed myself to keep these horrible memories alive and rarely did I replay the ones that actually weren't so bad. Hence, why I no longer remember them. And suddenly this song came back to mind. So, with that let me share with you one of the greatest moments during this not-so-great of a time. But first, I have to start off with the worst for you to understand my story.
An awful teacher bullied me during both my 1st and 2nd grade school year. She was a cruel, grumpy old woman with red lipstick on her teeth and a shaggy brown bob cut over her thick-black rimmed glasses. I didn't learn much with her since a good chunk of my time was spent trying to tolerate the grief of her existence. She always thought I spoke out of turn even when I rose my hand. She rolled her eyes whenever I had to read aloud and often requested that I "sit this one out because it'd be easier to move forward without me." I felt isolated and couldn't understand why she wouldn't let me just fit in.
I remember sitting in a circle during reading time when a beautiful, blond-haired teenage girl came in to say hi just when it was about to be my turn. I was so relieved not to have to endure the pain of this task, but at the same time all I kept thinking was, "How could this witch be anyone's favorite anything?" But then I saw my teacher do something I've never seen her do before. She jumped up, so full of excitement, and hugged her former student so tight I thought she'd burst! Something she's never done to me.
During my final year, it was announced that this same horrible woman would now be teaching 5th grade and low and behold, I was assigned to her class. I thought I'd get a break after all this time and felt it was so unfair that she was going to make me miserable once again. But half-way through the year, something funny happened. She was walking down the hall next to a leaky water fountain when she slipped over a puddle and tumbled a few steps down the stairs, terribly spraining her ankle. It was because of this injury that she wasn't able to finish the year. I know it's a bit unfortunate to admit, but I was so grateful to have her gone.
It was because of this accident that I met one of the best teachers of all. He was a tall, slender man with a mustache who wore flannel shirts and jeans. On the first day, he simply sat in front of our piano (that's never been played) and started to play. He didn't believe that everything had to be taught through books and writing assignments. He believed learning was an art and he taught us how to enjoy it. We sang, laughed, and began to feel a new excitement for school. So every morning and every afternoon, we dedicated ourselves to music. Towards the last couple of months, he pulled out this sheet music and taught us how to sing a song as a group. No favorites. No bullying. No difference. Just one class working together on one goal.
I never felt as strong as I did that day standing on that stage during our final ceremony. We were a team in front of a big audience which included our former evil teacher, and we sang our hearts out. I will never forget how proud our substitute was sitting on his piano bench and the sense of belonging I felt with my friends. I wanted to get the last laugh after so many years of trying to break through. And I finally did when everyone got up on their feet to applaud us as she grumbled in her seat next to her cane.
Lyrics:
Why are there so many,
Songs about rainbows,
And what's on the other side.
Rainbows are visions,
But only illusions,
Rainbows have nothing to hide.
What's so amazing,
That it keeps us star gazing?
And what do they think we might see?
Oh, someday we'll find it,
The Rainbow Connection,
The lovers, the dreamers, and me.
Have you been half asleep,
And have you heard the voices,
Well, I've heard them calling my name.
Is this the sweet sound,
That calls the young sailors,
Their voice might be one and the same.
I've heard it too many, many, times to ignore it,
And I think it might be.
Someday we'll find it,
The Rainbow Connection,
The lovers, the dreamers, and me.
http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics
http://misc.thefullwiki.org/The_Rainbow_Connection
Comments
Post a Comment