Teachers, the New Alphabet Song Is Here and We’re Never Going Back

See ya later, “LMNOP”!

Collage of two screenshots from @teacherrachelsorsel's TikTok account

As a child of the 1980s, the alphabet song has a special place in my heart. But as a mom and a teacher, I’m the first to admit that it can be confusing for little kids. Sometimes progress is painful, so as much as you would like to say “you can pry LMNOP from my cold, dead hands,” this is a change we need to embrace as educators.

This TikTok from @teacherrachelsorsel aka Teacher Rachel came across my feed and I was instantly captivated. Check it out:

What’s wrong with the old alphabet song?

I get it. It’s beloved. But it’s also problematic. Here’s why:

  1. During the “LMNOP” section, many children hear an “L” and a “P” and don’t say the individual letter names in between. Some kids even think “LMNOP” is one letter!
  2. At the end of the song, we say “Y and Z,” but students sometimes think “YN” or “NZ” are letters.

How is the new alphabet song different?

In the new song, you’ll sing it like this: ABCDEFG | HIJKLMN | OPQ| RST | UVW | XYZ. Now I never will forget | How to say the alphabet. That’s it! Teacher Rachel puts a snap in between every line, and I think it’s really helpful. Plus, no filler words!

What are people saying about the new alphabet song?

Screenshot of TikTok comment: I agree with you but didn’t all of us turn out fine knowing how to read and such with the original way of singing the alphabet?

I saw this reaction a lot, but IMHO, “we all ended up OK” isn’t a good reason to keep doing something. If we can do better, we should. And this version is better.

Screenshot of TikTok comment: Who the hell thought LMNOP was one letter or that there was an “N” between YZ? We literally had the alphabet on the wall in front of us with a teacher and a ruler pointing while we sang

I get what you’re saying, Justin. But any teacher will tell you that just because students are looking at the alphabet while they sing it, doesn’t mean they’re not going to get confused. Learning to read (particularly in English) is hard enough as it is. So I for one am pro anything that makes it clearer.

Screenshot of TikTok comment: It's better. I hate it.

Fair, Piura.

Screenshot of TikTok comment: FIRST PLUTO NOW THIS

I get it, girl. Everything we once knew is a LIE.

Screenshot of TikTok comment: LMNOP got me through a lot. We will never forget you. RIP

Relatable.

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