Rapper and actor Ice-T took the stage at Teachers College March 25 not to perform but to talk about the evolution of hip hop and the promotion of youth education. Ice-T was one of several featured speakers at the packed conference “Pop Culture in the Classroom: Teach, Think, Play,” which examined unique ways to incorporate pop culture into today’s classrooms. Speaking from his own teaching experience, Ice-T emphasized that teachers need to get to know their students better. To an audience of present and future educators, he said, “You need to be a little cooler. When you’re a teacher, get to know what the kids know … Get into their zone, communicate with them.” Ice-T recently taught hip hop to Upper West Side students at York Preparatory for the VH-1 reality show Ice-T’s Rap School. At the close of the program, he shared the stage with a few of his students, who all agreed that the class boosted their confidence level. The two-day conference was co-sponsored by the Film and Education Research Academy, Mindblue.com, Progressive Arts Alliance and Students for a Cultural Studies Initiative.