Mama Diaries

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Epic Sing-Along Fail

'Tis the season for Christmas carols. Most of us in the good old USA, know the standards:  Jingle Bells, Frosty, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, etc. But not my son's fourth grade class.  They've missed something along the way.

My son came home from school, yesterday, with this news:  "Mama, our sing-along was an epic fail!"

"Say what?" I said.  "Explain this."

"We were supposed to sing 'Frosty the Snowman' and 'Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer' in music class. But nobody knew the words."

"Are you serious?"  I asked.

He nodded.  "They'd never heard of those songs."

Now, let me paint the picture of where I live.  This is Atlanta, Georgia.  And it's like living in the United Nations.  There are so many nationalities here, and most of the people where I live, are Asian.  My family and I are a definite minority.  The kids are first generation Americans (my neighbors don't even speak English).  So, naturally, their parents had never taught them basic American Christmas tunes.

"But don't they teach kids 'Rudolph' in first grade?" I asked.  I clearly remembered my kids being quizzed on the reindeer names back in Ohio.

"Nope."

"So, maybe you can teach them.  You know all the words."

"Mama, I'm not singing all by myself.  Forget it.  I'd rather deal with the epic fail!"

(So much for my great idea.)    

46 comments:

  1. You definitely live in a melting pot of cultures!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes. It was a little shocking when we first moved here.

      Delete
  2. What surprises me most is that these kids must not have seen the classic children Christmas movies either. My kids watched them over and over again, which is one reason why they know the songs so well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Those kids are too busy doing homework to watch TV!

      Delete
  3. You'd think they would've heard the songs often enough to know.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You would think. I have to wonder what goes on inside their homes.

      Delete
  4. It's sad the kids don't know the words to these classics. I'm with M.J., looks like they would have seen the movies and known some about them.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I like the phrase Epic Fail.
    I would have thought the school would have taught the children the songs in time for the holidays. shouldn't take long... they're pretty catchy tunes :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow, does everyone there live under a rock?

    ReplyDelete
  7. ah, he will never be a UN ambassador....

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm surprised none of them ever came across the TV shows. They're on several times during the season, but maybe they don't watch TV or don't watch Christmas shows. I could see that.

    ReplyDelete
  9. You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen. But do you recall the most famous reindeer of all? I'll teach them the songs. Let me put on some pants and shoes. I'll be there before you know it.

    Love,
    Janie

    ReplyDelete
  10. In school we learned the Jingle Bells, Batman Smells, song.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I wouldn't want to sing by myself either!

    ReplyDelete
  12. We got to do a school field trip when I was very young. Second grade or under, if I'm remembering right. We preformed all the classic carols and gave out hand made Christmas cards to people in a nursing home.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That sounds awesome! Kids around here need to do that.

      Delete
  13. I'd be with him on the epic fail over me leading a class in song!

    ReplyDelete
  14. That's interesting to know. A friend from Dubai just moved to Atlanta early this year and I usually see photos of how nice the suburbs are from her Whatsapp messages. Weird, that the kids never picked up the songs, I'm sure they play the Christmas Carols on the radio a lot?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The funny thing is, when I take my dog for a walk, and people have the radio on, it's all Asian music. I feel like I'm living in a different country. I don't think all of Atlanta is like this - just our little area.

      Delete
  15. I would be too shy to sing by myself and I'm horrible about remembering words to songs. How great that you live in such a diverse area.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's very diverse. There's an Asian shopping center down the road, and everything is written in Asian. Everyone inside speaks the Asian language, and very few speak English. It's quite an experience shopping there!

      Delete
  16. So, it's a sure bet they also don't know "Randolph the Bow-Legged Cowboy", either. We always loved that holiday classic at Saint Stanislaus.
    Well, the kids did, anyway. The nuns hated it. They much preferred "Silent Night" or some other such somber ditty.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Randolph the Bow-Legged Cowboy sounds cool. You'll have to teach me the lyrics. ;0)

      Delete
  17. I'm asking the same question, "Are you serious?"

    ReplyDelete
  18. I wouldn't want to sing it by myself either! Maybe they can play it for them on an interactive whiteboard (if they have one) with the words. I bet the kids would learn fast! :)
    ~Jess

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That would be a great idea. I'm not sure if all the classrooms are equipped with whiteboards (Smartboards), though.

      Delete
  19. "Mama, I'm not singing all by myself. Forget it" is a cute dialogue of your son mam.

    ReplyDelete
  20. they must know their own, they could teach one =)
    and let me tell you, where i live in cincy, we have a huge international cauldron of soup here too.

    always love your stories, esp now that your in atl!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep. I lived in Cincy for 8 years, so I know about that. But it's a whole new level here. Maybe I should try learning some of their Asian tunes!

      Delete
  21. I wouldn't want to sing by myself either.

    I've encountered numerous children in Miami who don't know basic fairy tales--Snow White, Cinderella, etc. I was shocked. They were not exposed to the same books and tales I was. The same could be said about songs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's interesting about the books. I bet it's the same here, too.

      Delete
  22. I'm with your son. I wouldn't want to be the only one singing either. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family!

    ReplyDelete