As KO students, we love our teachers. Beyond just educators, they are people who share their life experiences and stories, and they are people that we look up to. The wisdom and insights our teachers share help shape the people we become, and although students often look back on their time at KO and miss how special a place it is, very few return to campus as a teacher themselves.
Upper School history teacher David Baker is an exception to that. A KO graduate in 2004, Mr. Baker was fortunate enough to have Peter Jones as both his history teacher and soccer coach. After being a recipient of Mr. Jones’ history expertise, lighthearted personality, and trademark wit, Mr. Baker was inspired. He went on to earn degrees in history and returned to KO to teach alongside Mr. Jones. Talk about the difference a KO teacher makes!
Mr. Jones and Mr. Baker both teach Modern World Studies in the Upper School, with Mr. Jones also teaching AP U.S. History and Mr. Baker teaching Global Cities. In addition to their mutual passion for history, they are bonded together by their love for music. Mr. Jones is a lifelong music appreciator; he often treats his students to live performances on the guitar of songs about historical events and can even be found proudly sporting his “Dads Love Harry Styles” shirt from time to time. Mr. Baker is a lifelong enthusiast and performer of music as well; he studied music in college, teaches vocal performance at KO, and advises many a capella and choral groups on campus.
Almost 10 years ago, the two teachers were encouraged by the history department to add new electives to the curriculum. From their mutual love for music and longtime friendship, the course “American Culture through Sight and Sound” was born. This spring elective is unique in that it is the only co-taught academic course at KO.
To capture their rapport and co-teaching dynamic, I sat down with Mr. Jones and Mr. Baker, and they shared together the journey of the course and what co-teaching means to them. “To a great extent, what teaching is for me is sharing,” Mr. Jones said. “Being able to share that appreciation for music with students through the means of both of us was always kind of exciting. And it gets better every year!”
When they launched the elective in the spring of 2015, students loved it, and the rest was history. “It focuses around music appreciation,” Mr. Jones said. “And history appreciation,” Mr. Baker added, “and understanding how they’re tied together. It’s an interdisciplinary course that’s meant to be fun and educational.” For the first half of the course, Mr. Jones and Mr. Baker guide students through the exploration of genres from the early twentieth century such as ragtime, blues, jazz, folk, Broadway, and various film scores. The second half of the course aptly timed to soundtrack the excitement of proms, graduation, and KO traditions, is centered all around rock and roll, and finishes with a study of funk, hip hop, disco, and the advent of pop.
Senior Jada Asapokhai, a student in this year’s class and an avid music fan, commented on the curriculum. “My favorite aspect of the class so far has been the way we transition into new genres of music,” Jada said. “Instead of presenting them as separate from each other, we see how each genre evolves into another and it makes learning about them so much more interesting.”
The final month of the course is unique in that it is fully student-led, marked by presentations each student curates around a certain genre, artist, movement, or influence in American music from the 1980s to today. “Students have a lot of ownership over what artists they want to focus on presenting and what songs they want to listen to, and what songs they want us to listen to,” Mr. Baker noted. “That makes the class new every time we teach it.”
While co-teaching is rather uncharted territory for many teachers at KO, the dynamic comes naturally to Mr. Jones and Mr. Baker. “From my perspective,” Mr. Jones commented, “both the structure and the balance come without a whole lot of planning.” Mr. Baker laughed, adding, “We’re friends, so that helps!”
Mr. Baker reflected on their dynamic as teachers and the significance of this opportunity for him. “It’s both organic and natural, and it’s an honor,” he said. “It’s one of the best things that we were able to sign up to do here at KO. I think co-teaching should be something every teacher gets to do. It’s a better classroom experience for everyone.”
Mr. Jones shared similar sentiments about having the opportunity to co-teach with a former student. “It is complimentary for me on a variety of levels,” Mr. Jones said. “One is, I think our styles and our personalities complement each other. The fact that he is a former student going into the same profession is an honor and a huge compliment.” That’s not all he had to say. “It makes at least some of what I did worthwhile!” he jokingly added.
In the past, the class has been offered every other year as a spring elective for juniors and seniors. But, with the outpouring of interest and sign-ups for it this year, Mr. Jones and Mr. Baker plan to bring their class back for the 2023-2024 school year. “It’s sharing, and it’s a community experience,” Mr. Baker said. The “American Culture through Sight and Sound” elective is the best example of what sets a KO class apart – collaboration, great teaching, and a fun dynamic for everyone involved.
