A TL Appeal to "Frozen" Hearts

My family and I saw the movie Frozen in the theatre during the Christmas holidays. We enjoyed the story despite some plot holes (so if you don't want spoilers to the film, stop reading this blog post after the media clips) but what we really loved was the music. My daughter and son listened to the songs on YouTube and taught themselves the words to their favourite ballads, and we just bought the soundtrack CD. One of the scenes was so poignant that it inspired me to re-write some lyrics and dedicate it to one of the wonderful teachers at my school.

Diana Hong (@wonderoom on Twitter) is a fantastic teacher. She is innovative, enthusiastic, and energetic. She incorporates technology seamlessly into her teaching program. She even likes many of the books that I like! I often forget that technically she's been a teacher for less than five years, because she's so good at what she does. It's a treat to work with her - but we don't get the opportunity as much as I would like. I'm not sure what the reasons or roadblocks may be that restrict our collaboration. Diana is not as distant as Elsa from Frozen but I thought I would write this song for Diana anyway. I will sing (or will have sung) this song to Ms. Hong in person, but for those of you who won't be there when I do it, here is my version of "Build a Snowman".

Co-Teach With Me (lyrics by Diana Maliszewski, music by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez)

Do you want to co-teach with me?
Let's see students, let's have fun!
I know it's hard to make the time
You earn your dime
Your work is never done!
We chat up in the staff room
But let's do more
Let's increase the things they know
Do you want to co-teach with me?
Collaborate and co-teach with me?
Yes or no?

Do you want to co-teach with me?
The library's a super space!
The possibilities are endless here
I never fear
That time would be a waste
(That's for sure, Di!)
When learning from each other
As we plan and mark
The students can think and grow

Teacher, please, we need each other
Alone, we're fine, as a team, we're great
In other places, their TLs are few
The doors are shut like glue
It's not too late.
We've got to prove it's worth it
Having both of us
Teacher and TL too
Do you want to co-teach with me?


This is my first attempt to use Google Sites to embed an audio-only file on my blog. Thanks go to this online how-to guide for the help. If you don't see it, I've inserted the movie version of the song (which has better singing, to be brutally honest) and my YouTube version cover of the song. (I built my primitive song studio and music video using Audio Memos, Drop Box, Windows Movie Maker, and YouTube.)








P.S. Teacher-librarians are good at media literacy, inquiry, and critical thinking. These are some of the "I wonder" questions that nagged at me as I thought about the movie afterwards...

I wonder: who was running the kingdom after the death of the king and queen? If Elsa was not crowned the new ruler immediately after her parents' untimely passing, then who was managing the affairs of the kingdom? Couldn't they have made the girls feel less lonely?

I wonder: why did Hans decide to go "full-out-evil" at the end? He could have simply gone through with his original plan to marry Anna and obtain the kingdom of Arendelle without any difficulty. Neither Elsa nor Anna seemed particularly interested in running the country and he didn't do such a bad job when Anna asked him to take over temporarily.

I wonder: how does economics and the judicial process work in the country? Visitors attempt to murder the reigning monarch (isn't that treason?) and they are sent back to their homeland - is that because of diplomatic immunity? Will the refusal to trade with Weseltown have ramifications?

I wonder: what was Elsa planning to eat while in her icy fortress of solitude?

I wonder: why did Anna never give up on her relationship with her sister, when she was shunned by her for so long?

I wonder: why do I think so much about animated movies when I have report cards to write?