Some of us were lucky enough to be coming of age in the ’90s. The 1990s. You remember the time when a phone in your room was the ultimate sign of teenage independence, and you also remember having a phone cord that stretched from the kitchen to the living room. You remember your pockets having zero electronics in them, but you also remember having to rearrange your Walkman when you sat down. We saw Scream (the first one) in the movie theatre (for $5.50), and remember when Zach had a cellphone and used it to impersonate his father so that Mr. Belding had to let him go on the school field trip. We remember Kelly, and Lisa, and Ally and 90210. Must-see T.V. Dave Matthews concerts were all filled with the people that people who were the age then that I am now referred to as “kids these days.” Peace in the Middle East was something that people said without as much irony, and a cigar was never only a cigar. We were doing all right, and we were doing it all wrong. Nostalgia makes Dickens rise in my mind like a bubble. It was truly the best and worst of times.

And we remember the mixtape. It was a love letter between sweethearts, a pact between friends. Mixtapes were the medium that allowed Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Ace of Base, and No Doubt to headline a concert together in the privacy of your bedroom. We remember the moment when the tape that your best friend made you got snagged in the player, and you freaked out and carefully and gently extracted the tape while praying that the ribbon wouldn’t break. Meticulously you would get a pencil (I favored the eraser for this job, but I know a lot of people who used the point) and lovingly lure the ribbon back onto the spool, whispering “please, please…” at it. You were hoping it wouldn’t get twisted and force you to start all over again.

Now, it’s all online. Maybe that is better. After all, all the music in the world is on the internet, and we don’t have to go to the mall to buy CDs from every artist to have all the ingredients to build the message our heart is bursting with. Now we make Spotify playlists. I had to get my high schooler to show me how. But I did it! I made a playlist. I am calling it Middle School Mixtape. I reached out to all the teachers in my school, asking what music they turn on for themselves when they are feeling a little down about the job. The outpouring (and can I add – spectacular good taste) that rained my way has yielded a song list that has me smiling all the darn time now. It’s like having friends visit whenever I turn it on. I get to hear and bounce around to the music that other teachers – people who mentor, guide, lead, and inspire me – turn to to perk themselves up. Check it out! And I would love to have more suggestions!