Here’s why NJ kids are being taught a new alphabet song

I was today years old when I found out that part of my childhood had it all wrong. The alphabet song. The ABC song.

They’ve gone and changed it. Many elementary schools across New Jersey and across America are singing a different version because the old one was bad.

Educators have decided that it was confusing. What could possibly be ‘confusing’ you ask? Yeah, me too frankly. It’s the ABCs for crying out loud. Isn’t that the definition of simple?

So-called experts are claiming some kids get confused by the traditional LMNOP part. Because the letters are sung fast together, they say some kids don’t realize those are five letters and think LMNOP is one letter.

First of all, isn’t that where the teacher comes in and, just being radical here, maybe GOES OVER THAT WITH THEM?! Second, if my kid can’t learn to grasp the concept that these are five letters sung fast then let me stop putting money in 529 plans for college right now. Don’t dumb down a song. Let me know up front this kid has no future, okay?

Also, the part of the song where they sing WXY and Z? The timing of the new song is such that the word 'and' is eliminated. Why? Same experts felt some kids think a letter is called Xand or called andY.

You can’t make this stuff up.

So the new song? USAToday https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2024/08/01/new-alphabet-song-lyrics-change-explained/74606072007/explains it this way.

The original song had pauses between "G," "P," "S," "V" "X" and ended with "Y and Z." The new version puts the pauses after "G," "N," "Q," "T," "W" and ends with "XYZ."

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Also, you know how it always ended with “Now I know my ABCs, next time won’t you sing with me?”

The new version ends with "Now I never will forget, how to say the alphabet."

Why? Who knows why. Does why even matter in 2024? Let’s just decide everything about the past was wrong and try to fix it.