"Come on down to VanHill Furniture! Shop our amazing deals!" blares through the speakers of my smartboard.
There was such a calming hygge atmosphere with this rainy day Youtube channel, but I guess the creator needs to get paid because out of nowhere a commercial interrupts the stream and jolts me back to reality. I wish the Youtube algorithm could at least match a peaceful ad to the video. I feel like my alarm clock just went off.
When my students are working hard on independent practice, I like to put some sort of nature soundscape on the board. I don't like when the classroom is too silent, and lots of studies have shown that even looking at a picture of nature can be good for our mental health.
Some students really appreciate it. Occasionally, someone is distracted. I found a video that showed digital jellyfish floating around the ocean with some light piano music in the background. One of my kiddos couldn't handle it. He needed to comment on whatever the jellyfish were doing.
Other times, I'll put on instrumental music. Most of my students are not into jazz, but there are playlists of pop songs being played by orchestral instruments (without the words). It was kind of funny when kids would notice what was playing. "Hey, that's Taylor Swift!"
I'm of the opinion that songs with lyrics are a little distracting. I did let students contribute to a Friday playlist. During our downtimes, I'll let that play. Sometimes they don't remember suggesting songs; they'll perk up and say, "Mr. W, you like Bad Bunny?"
I mean, I kinda do, but I just smile.
Today, the rain is going to start soon. Maybe I don't need the Youtube version of the rainy day. We'll just look out the window and listen for a bit.