WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Teachers at Russell Elementary are using today’s hits to inspire kids to make good decisions.
Fourth grade teacher Curtis Singleton along with Jaqueline Randall, Niesha Mitchell, Katelyn Malone, Amy Matthews, Christine Barlow, Carolyn Tapley, Brittany Caracciola, and Matthew Dewitt teamed up to make their own version of 'The Git Up' by Blanco Brown.
They call it ‘The Hero Git-Up’ and they rewrote the original lyrics to encourage students to make positive choices.
The team changed lyrics like “to the left, to the left” to phrases that remind students to treat others respectfully, like “be helpful, be engaged.”
“The best way was to find a song that our students know and rewrite the song to both entertain and educate our students,” he said.
Singleton says the team was inspired to make the video to help students understand the positive expectations staff have for students.
“It has been great to select expectations that teach our students how to act in different locations of our school building. Instead of telling the students what they cannot do, we teach our students the expectations,” Singleton said.
In the video, teachers dance, hold up signs with motivating messages, all while Singleton sings the rewritten hit.
“Now look at your matrix, follow rules like that,” Singleton sings in the video.
Principal William Wilson says it’s all part of the Positive Behavior Intervention & Support (PBIS) team’s effort to engage students.
“We do a lot of different videos like that, just to kind of get the kids interested in different things. Kind of get tuned into it,” Wilson said.
The team showed the video on the PBIS team’s kick-off day, which highlights the program and is aimed at encouraging students through school events.
Singleton says parents and students alike are fired up about The Hero Git-Up video.
“Due to safety concerns, we were excited to provide a video. Students all over the school have been excited and have requested that their homeroom teachers show the video repeatedly,” he said.
Singleton says he thinks the PBIS program has been a “great addition” to the elementary school.
“Students all over the county are learning to be accountable for their behavior in a positive way. It is important that we teach positive behaviors. If a student cannot read, we teach. If a student cannot write, we teach. Therefore, in the case of behavior, we also teach,” he said.