So back in 2007 two years after a discussion in 2005, yours truly made a flight with the family to the island of Manhattan, aiming to capitalize on the opportunity of living in America, much less New York. I had to battle through 12th grade here, eyes set on going on to become some form of Mathematician. I got through and due to financial difficulty, opportunity and the blessing of the CUNY system I remained in the city fighting to become a mathematician. Fast-forward to now the dream is different upon graduating as a Math major from the CUNY system.
While battling through the last five years the secondary interest I had developed to my primary interest. In Jamaica I heard Kanye's Jesus Walks. I visited America a twice before I moved here. Picking up College Dropout one time, and Rhymefest's Blue Collar the second time. Looking back with my infatuation with both albums, I am not surprised at all that upon moving here that Hip-Hop music would become my primary recreational interest.
Here we had a student pursuing Math, notoriously known to destroy students , much less black students hopes of being interested in any Science field. Taking classes with Dr. Lewis about Social Inequality in Hip-Hop, I was becoming very familiar with seeing Hip-Hop being used in the classrooms to discuss the social world. I was beginning to see how Hip-Hop doesn't have to be estranged from my academic priorities. However I was still confused to as how my interest in Math could be fused with Hip-Hop.
Until this point even Hip-Hop emcees who I believe to have profound lyrics didn't make much Mathematic references. Hell even Mos Def's Mathematics was a song that used mathematics to enlighten social issues instead of really looking at how Hip-Hop could be looked at mathematically. Thats not a knock on the song but I continued to feel that the academic part of my life would forever be separated from my biggest interest. That was until I until I made a reform in my own academic pursuit.
Ironically throughout my college career I was hell bent on being a theoretical Mathematician even though all my grades indicated I could have been a stellar applied Mathematician. However all my extra-curricular experiences throughout college involved teaching. Teaching was something I was always interested ever since I became interested in Math at the age 14 in Jamaica. I kind of tried to avoid it because I was convinced that there was more to the degree. However at 20 I figured out that even though there is much more I could do with the degree, at the bottom of my heart teaching Math is what I really wanted to do. I had did these teaching experiences all ignoring the desire to hone in on it.
Making the change really has opened me up to how Hip-Hop can now enter the sphere of academica. I have always looked at Hip-Hop as means of learning, exposing and challenging my mind.
"Now if you take a glass of water then add two cubes of ice
you should see the cup's water level slightly rise, right?
You need to watch what I'ma show you (Watch this)
You need to look closely at what I'ma show you
(Listen to this right here)
If you remove every living animal out of the seathen wouldn't the world's ocean water level decrease?This means the planet wasn't three-quarters water " - Canibus
You often take pieces like this and rebuild and asses your own understanding. However that doesn't mean there hasn't been moments where you hear lines and you feel like it is utterly wrong, is stupid and worthless. Thats what makes Hip-Hop great entertainment and an interest for me. I learn from it, I go to it with my own world view and walk out with understanding different perspectives and I am free to call it out for not having things that I want and believe. It was by far an example of free-learning in my own life and it was done out of desire. I could have stopped after the first few albums I heard. I went on my own quest to listen and hear, understand and enjoy.
I realize I want a classroom similar to that as I approached Hip-Hop. And this is why I am so glad God has reminded me for my interest in teaching. Hip-Hop is a means by which I started to naturally learn. I didn't go enjoy Hip-Hop without a world view. However that worldview has changed and my relationship with Hip-Hop has too. I want my students to be engaged in the same way with mathematics. I want them to come with their knowledge and understandings to the subject. I want them to wrestle with their ideas, see the ideas of the classroom and come naturally to conclusions and truths about the Math. I think a classroom that encourages this, will allow for students to be heavily interested in math, incite curiosity, so that they can start thinking about their entire lives and what parts of math are involved. So that they may say "it's all mathematics".
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Shout outs: TBA
Peace, Love, Unity, God Bless and Keep Safe
