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Senior Slump
The proverbial senior slump is a valley too low to penetrate. Their eyes are glazed; their minds set on caps and gowns and the release into summer. Perhaps there are some viable alternatives to “the slump.” Meanwhile, we all suffer -- and sing -- our way through it.

Hallelujah for Vacations
“For many of us, Spring vacation is just around the corner -- and none too soon. It’s definitely time for a break; time to fuel up for the last few months of school.”

Losing It
“Teachers are human and we lose our cool sometimes. Occasionally ‘losing it’ is an understandably human response to the incessant flow of life pressures and the demands of the classroom. Perhaps, though, we can lose ourselves in song instead.”

The New Technology Song
Computers have changed the face of education. My face, for one, changes constantly as I learn to navigate the new technology -- from puzzlement to a frown to exasperation and, sometimes, even to joy when I don’t have to run to the IT department for help.

The Rubric Song
About ten years ago, I heard other teachers talking about “rubrics,” a word that had never been a part of my vocabulary. I’d never even heard of rubrics; I wondered where I’d been. But now I’m a full blown convert. Rubrics can be such fun. Let’s sing.

The New Communication Song
Schools aren’t like they used to be in the leisurely days of yore, certainly not in terms of communication. Today, there’s e-mail, voice mail, cell phones all around the school.

Oh, Lunch Duty
This song was inspired by my opportunity to perform weekly lunch duty during a high school lunch period. I can manage my classroom well enough, but amid the lunchtime fries and frenetic conversations, I hold little sway. What’s left but to put my woes to song?

Seems Like We Were Never Gone
There ought to be a manual -- "A Teacher's End of Summer Guide for Re-entry" -- to soften the abrupt shift from the low gear of summer to the high gear of a new school year. Maybe I'll write it one of these days. For the time being, though, here's a song.

Summer Is Comin’ My Way
The last day of school -- a day worth singing about; a day that cries out for a rousing song that teachers can pour their hearts into. What a beautiful morning! What a beautiful day!

There’s a Hole In Their Thinking
No matter how sincere the excuses appear to be, they never seem to hold much water.

Oh, the Substitute is Comin’ in Today
What happens to students when they sense that a substitute is a bit green and gullible and can be reduced to whimpering? Surely, it’s material for a song!

The Evaluation Song
No matter how many years we’ve been in the classroom, the prospect of a supervisor coming to observe can trigger all our fears of inadequacy: “I’m still not good enough. Maybe I was never meant to do this in the first place.” A good time for singing!

Passing Time
“Passing Time” is a re-make of that favorite song “Over the River and Though the Woods,” but instead of Thanksgiving, it celebrates our ability to maintain the frenetic pace of school.

Parent-Teacher Conferences
It's not that most parents aren't supportive. They are. But there's always that one conference that throws you off kilter; the parents who are always right and have no intention of listening to anything you say. Perhaps a song would help?

Middle School Field Trips
Did you ever chaperone a middle-school field trip? Then you know that the best part is the bus pulling back into school.

Coming Back is Never Easy
Understand that I love teaching. I wouldn't choose any other field. But I also love summer. And coming back to school -- into this field of great promise and opportunity -- has just never been easy. I can't lie about that -- but I can sing about it!

The Middle of May
We've made it to the middle of May. With the weather shifting and trees leafing out, it seems like teachers and students alike want to bolt from the classroom to bask in the warm air. Can we hold it all together for the rest of the year?

Chewing Gum in School
It's a sticky issue any way you look at it. What to do? Let them chew? Exact penalties, punishments? And then along come the brain researchers who tell us that chewing gum might, in fact, be a good thing. (Tell that to the cleaning staff!) What to do? Sing!

I Might Survive
The winter is beginning to wane, but so is my patience! It can be a long stretch from that distant December holiday season to spring break. I see it in my colleagues' faces -- the "just-getting-by" look. Can we survive?

Winging It
Juggling the responsibilities of teaching, family life, and life in general can be daunting. Sometimes, when all our responsibilities converge at once, we have to let go of our highest expectations for our professional selves; in short, we just have to wing it.

We Never Get Snow Days
This song might not resonate with teachers in the Deep South. But I hope all of you will allow yourselves to imagine the possibilities and to empathize with this teacher's lament penned after a poorly timed blizzard.

The Back-Up Song
There's no question that computers have transformed our lives. They've changed the way we create and -- destroy -- work. Countless horror stories of documents -- and hours -- lost should provide reason enough for The Back Up Song to become a school anthem.

Thank Goodness for Weekends
The concept of a day of rest dates to ancient times, but the notion of a two-day buffer between five-day work weeks is a relatively new innovation. And what a brilliant, life-saving innovation it is! Imagine a teacher's life without those two days to re-coup and re-charge. The weekend -- truly a sacred time and well worth celebrating with song.

Go Teacher Go
It's September and there's no question about it; we're back and running again. It takes no time at all for the slow and lazy pace of summer to be overwhelmed by the quickened pace of school. On your mark…get set…hold onto your grade books and… Go!

The Teacher Anxiety Song
It's coming: the inevitable end of summer and the opening days of school. The mere mention of summer's end is cause for the onset of teacher anxiety dreams. Why not put your fears and worries into song instead ?

Oh, My Summer
We’ve hobbled through May with waning energy. The finish line is in sight. It’s time for a break -- a nice long, long break. The arrival of summer is really something worth singing about, truly a cause for celebration Belt this one out in big hearty voices.

A Few of My Favorite Lines
Writing narrative comments about students has to be one of the most demanding tasks a teacher faces. Finding just the right words, being honest, but not too honest…these are the challenges teachers face at the end of each grading period. Eric Baylin pitches in to help with a few of his favorite lines.

I've Grown Accustomed to the Stress
To many teachers, the hurried pace, the frantic race, the mountain of unfinished details … might seem to be too much to bear. But, not to Eric Baylin. "My system," he sings, "has adjusted. I've grown accustomed to the stress." Maybe his song can help you too.

The Meeting Song
This song was written to awaken a roomful of slouching teachers at the beginning of an after-school meeting.

Back So Soon?
Inevitably, long-awaited vacations come to an end -- and we're suddenly back and running full steam ahead. And yet, there must be time for a song!

This Is Why I Am a Teacher
Eric Baylin invites you to join him in singing about one of the great joys of the teaching calendar -- all those breaks!

They Tell Me It's Only November
Educator and songsmith Eric Baylin gives voice to the teacher's traditional November lament.

About the Lyricist Eric Baylin has been a teacher for 36 years, working with a variety of age levels in both public and private schools in New York and North Carolina. He currently works at Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn, New York, a K-12 independent school established in 1854. In addition to teaching art and photography to middle- and high-school students, Baylin coordinates a program of collaborative faculty study groups in Packer's professional development program.