I was reading the Scholastic blog today and a headline caught my eye, "Using Humor in the Classroom." I immediately thought of my little third graders and their smiling faces! One of the rules in my classroom is "Be Happy!" I'm always looking for the kids to enjoy what they are doing and to show their happiness to me through smiles. Their smiles get me through the hectic day, and I know I smile and relax because of them. There isn't a lot that can calm me down when I get stressed out, but the smile of a kid can always make me smile. I went through a bad string of panic attacks during college and dealt with the stress of finals by taking a picture of my young smiley cousin with me to each exam. Something about those pudgy cheeks and gummy grins just make me laugh!
We all know that laughter is one of the most important things in life...they say, "It keeps us young!" I think it is important to remember to bring it into your classroom as well. On the Scholastic website, Mary Blow says, "Laughing is something we forget to do when we become overwhelmed with lesson plans, grading, parent meetings, and state testing. It was then that I realized how important humor is in the classroom. It captivates and energizes, but more importantly, it helps you form relationships with your students." We all know about how overwhelming our jobs can be, but try to smile and to laugh. Just remember, we will be able to form important relationship with our students through that laugh or smile, too!
I agree that smiling is important. I try to make sure that I am smiling each day and greeting my students at the door with a smile, it just starts off each hour on the right foot. Also using humor is important, students like to laugh and have fun and if you use humor once in a while they will feel more comfortable within your room and will hopefully be in a good mood most of the time.
ReplyDeleteI also feel the laughter is the key to a fun educational classroom. The preschool students love to laugh and give insight to what and how they experienced the world. As you know kids say the cutest things and are very honest. They keep me smiling and their smiling is very contagious which helps the overall environment in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI think humor and smiling are a must in the classroom. Sometimes it is hard though. Teachers have bad days too. They get worn down by the kids and the daily grind. It is during these times when teachers need to remember to smile and stay in as good a mood as possible. The teachers mood will determine the atmosphere of the classroom.
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