Gen X Teacher Educating Gen Z Class on 'Important History' Song Goes Viral

When you think about the topics you covered in history class (however long ago that may have been), what springs to mind? One U.S. history teacher is educating her students on some of the most important cultural moments of the last century—which has to include music from the 1980s.

Teaching American history means that Sari Beth Rosenberg has to cover a vast array of topics, but she also thinks it's vital to find time for some lighter moments too. Rosenberg, who in her 40s is part of Generation X, explained to Newsweek that "it's important to carve out some time throughout the year to bond with kids beyond the curriculum." What better way of doing that than enjoying some music with the high schoolers?

Rosenberg, from New York, whisked the Generation Z (born between 1997 and 2012) students back to a time before anyone had even heard of Taylor Swift or Beyoncé, and showed them the music video to the 1985 charity song, "We Are The World." The artists included Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner, Michael Jackson, and Billy Joel. There is some serious star-power behind all those names, but amazingly, the students barely knew any of them.

"This was just a fun moment with students the day before break," Rosenberg continued. "The students are always putting me onto new artists, so this was just a moment to share music from my day as those artists were super important in my formative years.

"It was interesting for them to learn about the point of the song, and that it went on to raise more than $60 million for famine relief in Africa. I think it was inspiring for them to learn about how musicians came together to raise money to help humanity. It's important to empower kids with stories about how humans can make a difference. Hopefully it will inspire them to think about solving today's issues."

While she wasn't overly surprised that the students didn't know many of the artists, Rosenberg said that it was a really fun way of introducing them to "a whole new world of artists" from years gone by. "Hopefully they looked them up on Spotify after watching the video," she added.

The Generational Shift

While people often joke about the differences between older folk and their younger counterparts, Pew Research Center highlights that millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) and Gen Z don't differ too much on political viewpoints. However, the generational lines are more apparent socially, as Gen Z has come of age in an era of technological revolution, meaning they're far more accustomed to a world of constant connectivity.

Some people remember getting their first phone as a teenager, or perhaps listening to their parents records because there was no alternative. But for Gen Z, everything from the iPhone, internet, social media, and on-demand entertainment have been present since the start. Pew Research Center adds that there's no way of knowing how this will shape Gen Z yet, but as they reach adulthood more can be learned about the effects they've had on adolescents.

Rosenberg finds this notion incredibly interesting, because although we live in an age of interconnection, she feels that younger generations are becoming "increasingly disconnected."

She said: "The way we get our entertainment is so different these days. I was exposed to my parents' music because it was always playing in the car or the house. However, everyone is relegated to their own personal information and entertainment silos now. It's socially acceptable for people to put on their headphones and tune out everything else."

By bringing music into the classroom, she hopes to broaden their horizons and encourage them to delve deeper into a world they don't yet know. Rosenberg posted footage of the "important history" class on her TikTok account (@saribethrose), and the teacher admitted that she was "completely shocked" by the response it received. With over 13.5 million views and 871,300 likes, Rosenberg loved how the song created a lot of nostalgia for others too.

Among the 33,200 comments on the viral post, plenty of horrified TikTokers had something to say about the teenagers not knowing such cultural icons from the '80s. One comment reads: "People not knowing Steve Perry should be a crime."

Another person responded: "It's our responsibility to teach our children about our generation's talent, my kids knew these without pausing."

While others praised Rosenberg for taking the time to teach them this, as one commenter wrote: "She's doing the important work."

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