My Pedagogy

“My Pedagogy,” is a remix that is loosely styled after The Who’s iconic song “My Generation,” creatively engages with Peter Elbow’s critical exploration in “Being a Writer vs. Being an Academic.” This remix embodies the central tension highlighted by Elbow—the struggle between the identities of writer and academic within educational settings. Through lyrics such as “Why do you ask me to choose?” and “Writer’s voice or academic’s cues?” the remix directly invokes Elbow’s concerns about forcing students into binary roles that neglect personal authenticity in favor of institutional authority. Lines like “They tell me writers must be free, but academics own meaning’s key” explicitly reference Elbow’s argument regarding who controls textual meaning—the writer’s intentions versus the academic reader’s interpretive authority.

The song preserves the rock genre’s rebellious style, using musical elements like staccato guitar riffs, driving basslines, and improvisational bass solos to echo Elbow’s advocacy for student writers to confidently claim their voice, even when confronting traditional academic structures. The chaotic climax of the remix musically underscores Elbow’s pedagogical belief in embracing creative risks and the messiness inherent in authentic writing processes. Ultimately, this playful yet pointed remix emphasizes Elbow’s central thesis: educators and students both benefit from classrooms that balance rigorous intellectual inquiry with the empowering freedom of expressive, authentic writing, creating a productive tension that allows students to develop as both confident writers and thoughtful academics.

[Intro]
(Writer or academic—why not both?)

[Verse 1]
Why do you ask me to choose?
(Why do you ask me to choose?)
Writer’s voice or academic’s cues?
(Academic’s cues!)
You say they’re pulling different ways,
But I’m trying to find a space.

[Chorus]
Talkin’ ‘bout my pedagogy,
(Writer vs. academic!)
Talkin’ ‘bout my pedagogy,
(Goals so conflicting!)
Trying to walk toward two peaks,
Even if the balance creaks.

[Verse 2]
They tell me writers must be free,
(Must be free!)
But academics own meaning’s key.
(They hold the key!)
Reader’s rules can stifle the spark,
But freedom’s voice can miss the mark.

[Chorus]
Talkin’ ‘bout my pedagogy,
(Writing’s liberation!)
Talkin’ ‘bout my pedagogy,
(Academic foundation!)
Can I teach them both to be,
Balanced in this harmony?

[Bridge]
Writers demand control, while academics wrestle meaning away.
How do I teach students to embrace both?
To trust their voice and wrestle the text?
The tension is the point!

[Verse 3]
Writing’s trust lets meaning grow,
(Meaning grow!)
While doubt refines what writers show.
(Writers show!)
They must explore, then step aside,
To wrestle with the academic tide.

[Chorus]
Talkin’ ‘bout my pedagogy,
(Writerly intention!)
Talkin’ ‘bout my pedagogy,
(Academic invention!)
Teaching them to claim their place,
In this endless textual race.

[Outro]
Talkin’ ‘bout my pedagogy!
(Writers and academics!)
Talkin’ ‘bout my pedagogy!
(Why do they clash?)

Let them WRITE, let them READ,
Balance grows from what they need!