We knew that Pearl Jam is one of the defining rock bands of the 90s, but we didn't realize they were as universal as they apparently are: Peace Corps volunteer Matt Westerberg has been using the lyrics of "Even Flow" to help teach English to 9th grade students in Northern Ethiopia, and the song has actually been an effective and motivational educational tool. Westerberg told Alternative Nation:

After class one day I jokingly wrote the chorus line to Pearl Jam’s “Even Flow” on the chalkboard. I thought it would be funny to have the kids try and learn it. They laughed their way through it. The next day, they demanded to try it again. After a while we went through most of the song day by day as a motivational tool.

At first it was all just a joke, but after awhile, the students began to really build confidence through learning the song. Kids that were shy and quiet all year were suddenly more confident speaking up in class and loved participating in the song.

Westerberg and his fellow volunteers filmed a video of the students singing the song and synchronized it with the original version for a fun video that's worth checking out, so give it a watch below.

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