One local high school teacher wasn’t going to let COVID-19 and physical distancing stop him and Bob Marley from reminding his students that every little thing is gonna be alright.
Michael Sheehan teaches English and religion at St. Peter's Catholic Secondary School in Barrie’s south end.
Missing his students and knowing they must be going through the same anxiety he is, Sheehan wishes he and fellow staff could be with the kids.
“We miss our students, we really miss them,” Sheehan told BarrieToday. “We miss teaching them, we miss our inside jokes in class and being there when they need us. I hope that my students are handling this crisis in a good way and being positive.”
Sheehan felt the need to do something for the students of St. Peter’s and felt music was the best way.
Emailing his fellow staff, he organized the group to film themselves singing the Bob Marley song, Three Little Birds.
Sheehan said that many teachers were a little shy about singing and having it posted on the school’s YouTube page and social media. The song allowed for spoken-word vocals if need be, but he said it was also the perfect song for the times.
“Bob Marley is still so influential and the song is so positive. ‘Don't worry about a thing 'cause every little thing is gonna be alright’ is a great line that everyone should sing to themselves right now,” he said.
From suggestion to making it public, the sing-along took about a week to produce and included staff choosing the parts they wanted to sing.
Fellow St. Peter’s teacher Melissa Oliver used her technological know-how to put all the pieces together and the video was posted last Monday and currently has more than 3,800 views on the school’s YouTube page.
“The feedback has been great, and it has reached beyond what I expected,” said Sheehan. “It was just a fun video for our students to let them know we miss them, but so many more people in the community have been commenting and saying they love it.”
Sheehan doesn’t know when he will be able to join other staff and students in the hallways and classrooms of his school, but he hopes it is soon.
“I live alone, so I know how it is affecting me and how I am a little freaked out. I hope the students are doing OK,” said Sheehan.
“I just can’t believe sometimes that we are watching the world change, right before our eyes. I can’t wait to get back to as normal as possible, and we will, because we are all in this together.”
