Do you still sing the ABC song when you're filing stuff?

@TheHorse (219101)
Walnut Creek, California
September 17, 2018 11:23am CST
You'd think by now I could remember the order of the letters in the alphabet. But the other day, when I was entering grades in my grade book, I found myself singing the ABC song in my head. Some letters are obvious. I know that Bachman comes after Alvarez without having to sing anything. But when I got to names like Vasquez and Werner, I had to pause. "U V W X Y Z/now I know my ABCs..." I also remember certain "rhymes" ("i" before "e," except after "c") that we learned in school to help us with spelling. Do you still use old songs and rhymes to remember things? By the way, this post was inspired by @HazySue's recent (September 13) post on music and memory. The post has stimuIated several cool threads on music, memory and emotion--what fun!
25 people like this
26 responses
• United States
17 Sep 18
Occasionally I'll resort to singing the Alphabet song but mostly my go to is the "i" before "e" except after "c" and also 30 days have September, April, June and November all the rest have 31 save for February which is 28 (unless it's leap year then it has one more). These songs we learned have come in handy all through the years. Wonder if kids still learn them in school?
2 people like this
• United States
17 Sep 18
@TheHorse same with me
2 people like this
@TheHorse (219101)
• Walnut Creek, California
17 Sep 18
@Marilynda1225 I hope the kids still lean those helpful songs in school.
2 people like this
@TheHorse (219101)
• Walnut Creek, California
17 Sep 18
Heh. I use the month one often. This is September. I have no clue how many days are in this month. But if I start singing... yep, 30 days.
2 people like this
• United States
17 Sep 18
I do catch myself running though the alphabet in my head sometimes. I don't sing it, I just say the letters real fast.
2 people like this
• United States
17 Sep 18
@TheHorse Yea, you might find your just whipping though them real fast like me sometimes! lol
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (219101)
• Walnut Creek, California
17 Sep 18
@sweetashoney "lmnop" becomes one word, basically.
2 people like this
@TheHorse (219101)
• Walnut Creek, California
17 Sep 18
Next time I'm entering grades, or otherwise using the alphabet, I'll have to see whether I always sing.
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25805)
• United States
17 Sep 18
Funny you should mention "i before e except after c" because I was using that rhyme in class the other day to help my students with some spelling errors they were making with words like "friends" and "neice." I also use the ABC Song often to help me put things in alphabetical order.
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25805)
• United States
17 Sep 18
@TheHorse Well, of course, I meant niece. Unfortunately, my fingers seem to always spell it wrong. I need better educated fingers.
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25805)
• United States
17 Sep 18
@TheHorse Don't feel bad. I misspelled friends on our wedding announcements and didn't discover it until they came back from the printer all ready to be mailed out.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (219101)
• Walnut Creek, California
17 Sep 18
@DWDavis I actually don't know how to spell it!
1 person likes this
@amadeo (111938)
• United States
17 Sep 18
Nope I have not done this.I do not know mine alphabet
2 people like this
@amadeo (111938)
• United States
17 Sep 18
@TheHorse not sure.
@TheHorse (219101)
• Walnut Creek, California
17 Sep 18
Are (is) there the same number of letters in the Italian alphabet?
@wolfgirl569 (106649)
• Marion, Ohio
17 Sep 18
Yes I do and I have to use the i before e thing a lot.
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (106649)
• Marion, Ohio
17 Sep 18
@TheHorse Yes it is. I think The after c is the one I always mess up on.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (219101)
• Walnut Creek, California
17 Sep 18
@wolfgirl569 I remember the rule. But I forget the exceptions. Sigh.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (219101)
• Walnut Creek, California
17 Sep 18
Me too. But I think there are exceptions to that rule, just to make things difficult. Is "veil" spelled "veil"?
@arunima25 (87829)
• Bangalore, India
17 Sep 18
I do it many times. Being an educator with younger children, these rhymes keep popping in my head all the time.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (219101)
• Walnut Creek, California
17 Sep 18
How old are the sprouts you work with?
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (219101)
• Walnut Creek, California
18 Sep 18
@arunima25 I enjoy the younger kids.They keep me in a good mood. What kinds of deficits led to some kids falling behind (the older ones you worked with)? Here, it's often economic.
1 person likes this
@arunima25 (87829)
• Bangalore, India
18 Sep 18
@TheHorse I worked with preprimary 3_7 years in the morning and in afternoon I helped higher classes with their remedial and counseling.
1 person likes this
@vandana7 (100329)
• India
18 Sep 18
I just knew I was smarter....I did not have to prove it...you proved you are not as smart as I..LOL
1 person likes this
@vandana7 (100329)
• India
25 Sep 18
@TheHorse Are you admitting I am smarter than you? Evil Grin
@TheHorse (219101)
• Walnut Creek, California
25 Sep 18
You needed proof of that?
1 person likes this
@just4him (317090)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
17 Sep 18
Okay, now I've got that going through my head.
1 person likes this
@just4him (317090)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
18 Sep 18
@TheHorse It went away, thank you. I needed that.
@HazySue (39268)
• Gouverneur, New York
18 Sep 18
That's so funny. I do the same thing. I guess we never entirely grow up.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (219101)
• Walnut Creek, California
18 Sep 18
It really is the easiest way to remember the order of the letters. I'm happy that I haven't become entirely "adult."
1 person likes this
@HazySue (39268)
• Gouverneur, New York
19 Sep 18
@TheHorse It really does help. I will never grow up entirely, it's no fun.
@shubhu3 (36463)
• New Delhi, India
17 Sep 18
Hahahaha This is so cute. I do it as well when the letters start I tend to sing the enter song of it.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (219101)
• Walnut Creek, California
17 Sep 18
Heh. I'll have to see if I do it all the time.
1 person likes this
@shubhu3 (36463)
• New Delhi, India
18 Sep 18
@TheHorse hehehe
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (219101)
• Walnut Creek, California
18 Sep 18
@shubhu3 I'll provide a full report after I grade Tuesday's in-class assignments.
1 person likes this
• Japan
19 Sep 18
No, because in music the alphabet is ABCDEFG, ABCDEFG...
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (219101)
• Walnut Creek, California
25 Sep 18
I'm going to revolutionize music by inventing a new note and calling it H.
• Japan
26 Sep 18
@TheHorse Go to Germany, where they already have it. What we call B natural is H in German, and B flat is "B".
1 person likes this
• Japan
26 Sep 18
@TheHorse Having said that, now we have kids that call sharps "hashtags". As in, "F hashtag".
1 person likes this
18 Sep 18
:-D Funny. Yes, I do! And the "ie" and "ei" mnemonics. The 66 books of the Bible is a mouthful but I get there with some ease.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (219101)
• Walnut Creek, California
19 Sep 18
@everwonderwhy Math? I just meant good food. I struggle with spelling. I'll take banana cream!
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (219101)
• Walnut Creek, California
18 Sep 18
66 books? No way! But I do know pi out to several digits.
1 person likes this
19 Sep 18
@TheHorse Math's my taboo. What's that?
1 person likes this
@YrNemo (20255)
19 Sep 18
I still have to use it, since the order of i, j and r-s-q etc are a bit confusing to me.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (219101)
• Walnut Creek, California
25 Sep 18
Those are good examples!
1 person likes this
@debjani1 (7202)
25 Sep 18
It's a very nice song. U can teach the kids with this sweet song.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (219101)
• Walnut Creek, California
25 Sep 18
It's also one of the "most requested" by young kids at circle time.
@GardenGerty (160721)
• United States
18 Sep 18
I do use these memory devices, but I before E is not as reliable as we thought it was, because I have friends and coffee cups that point out exceptions. How about math? Inch worm song, and then this week I taught my lead teacher about swaying to count by fives. i have known teachers that hated that, but I have seen classes here where they teach all kinds of movement math.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (219101)
• Walnut Creek, California
18 Sep 18
How does the swaying work? I don't think I've heard/seen that one!
@popciclecold (38924)
• United States
18 Sep 18
I don't it a lot. but yes I still do it.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (219101)
• Walnut Creek, California
25 Sep 18
I only do it when I get to the "hard to remember" letters.
• United States
18 Sep 18
nope.my brain's too busy still singing schoolhouse rock.tho to be fair,the "constitution" song saved my butt in school..
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (219101)
• Walnut Creek, California
18 Sep 18
Constitution Song?
@JudyEv (340511)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Sep 18
Like you, it's mostly it's just the last few letters that make me stop and think.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (219101)
• Walnut Creek, California
18 Sep 18
Yep. I was just thinking about j,k, and l...they're kind of in "no man's land" as well.
1 person likes this
@ShifaLk (17817)
• India
18 Sep 18
Haha that's a good way.. Although I don't do it
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (219101)
• Walnut Creek, California
18 Sep 18
It works for me!
1 person likes this
@dya80dya (36660)
18 Sep 18
No. I don't know this song.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (219101)
• Walnut Creek, California
25 Sep 18
Do they use a little rhyming song to teach kids the alphabet in Romania?