Malcolm's Gift: A Lesson for Students from Malcolm Jamal Warner

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H2TW: Hip-hop Transformative Tutoring and Writing

#TransformativeTuesdays – Malcolm’s Gift 🎁

✍🏾 I remembered when I first heard about dyslexia. In season six, episode four of The Cosby Show entitled “Theo’s Gift,” Theo, a struggling undergraduate, was frustrated with the low score he received on an essay. His paper was filled with confusing and high-brow language. Later, we, the audience, discovered that Theo had dyslexia. He was not a poor student. Malcolm Jamal-Warner’s iconic character inspired many to seek help to cope with learning difficulties. 💡

As an English professor who lives with depression and anxiety 😔, writing is still a challenge. Malcolm’s premature death 🕊️ reminded me of the gift his acting gave to me—hope. 💛 Hope is all you need to experience your breakthrough as a writer. ✨

🎤 Like Theo, many students try to impress their teachers with big ten-dollar words. Insecure students often rely on these gimmicks as a trauma response. Some students are conditioned to perceive their language or critical thinking as not good enough. Consequently, they mask who they are, often using long sentences to hide their so-called shortcomings.

I challenge ELA students to author their essays like hip-hop bars 🎵. When good emcees rap, they are always in pocket. Like the OG Rakim 🎤, they let the rhythm hit them. They add flow to their writing.

How do they do it? 

🤔Most rappers use their pen to chisel long sentences into bite-size chunks of information. They give the audience only what they need. 📝

Put differently, rap artists act like each word used takes a thousand dollars out of their checking account 💸. Unless you are the Clipse, this amount of money is going to leave you bankrupt. Choose carefully and use the fewest words to express and add shape to your ideas.

💡 Remember: teachers value quality over quantity.

Once the writing is clear, you can add seasoning to avoid bland writing. 🌶️ But that does not mean you cover your pages with hot sauce. Use your thesaurus to elevate the verbs in your sentences. Remember, verbs are action words. 💥

Therefore, if you want your essay to be the bop, add pop to only these special words. 🎶

To all the students out there, it is important to remember: you have a gift. 🎁You do not have to be someone you are not. Remember Malcolm’s gift. Clearly express yourself and do not worry about showing off for others. 🌟

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#H2TW #HipHopWriting #TransformativeTutoring #ELA #StudentSuccess #WritingTips #MalcolmsGift #TransformativeTuesdays