Please continue to read the text (if you have not already went ahead).
Pay close attention to:
- Section 18 Thanks To You (page 55)--quite a tribute to you as an educator
- Section 20 Humor Homework (pg. 61)-- some great ideas to possibly implement as part of your final project.
- Section 21 Play Sheet--Ways to influence your classroom and school environment
Please post AHAS and thoughts from these sections.
11 comments:
Receiving a "thank you" from a former student would certainly be a gratifying feeling. As a teacher we have the unique opportunity to have lasting impressions on our students. Each teacher-student relationship provides a new opportunity to help. I like the idea of being a teacher because when we retire we can look back at the successes of our students and feel like we've played a small role in helping them.
Reading the ideas to create a "lauging classroom", I think they are all creative, spontaneous, and provide opportunities for the student to view the teacher as a "real" person. I think when we view someone as down-to-earth and sincere, we take the advice and information they offer to heart. Although I won't be glueing myself to a blackboard or singing the rap song, these examples provide some unique and refreshing ideas to improve your classroom environment. I think many were focused towards an elementary school environment, but I was able to modify some of these ideas into activities I think I could use in the high school.
I like the bulleted points on page 33 as a reminded of all of the positive things humor can provide in your classroom.
I have a file folder in my filing cabinet where I keep all my cards and notes of thanks or appreciation from students. That way, when I feel like I'm not making a difference, or it's just been one of those days, I can pull them out, smile, and remember that making a difference isn't always something we can sense until it's over and done.
I love the creative ideas found in the text, and one that I want to try is "Classroom Trivia." I teach Spanish, and although what I teach is pretty basic, I think by the end of six weeks, the kids would be able to do these in Spanish (at least for birthdays and simple things like that). I think this book will be a great teaching tool to refer to.
I, like my wife Kris, also have a folder in my classroom where I keep my cards and letters that show appreciation and gratitude from students. It's nice to go back and read them and know that you are making a difference in people's lives. We may not influence every student we have evey year, hopefully just enough to make a difference.
As I was going through the 30 ideas to make a fun classroom, I realized that I already do a few of them in class. I often have music playing when students enter my classroom. I gets the kids attention and lightens the mood. I've also done something similar to the rap, except it's not a rap. I create a story for the math lesson covering order of operations. (It's centered around the old saying "Please excuse my dear aunt sally.) I think i could use more of these ideas to have more fun in the classroom on a regular basis. This book will be a great tool for fun ideas.
My book has not arrived yet, but Jesse,Kris and Bill your comments have me thinking. I teach first grade. Most of the notes I have are from the parents. I get two or three thank you notes a year. They really mean a lot to me. One child wrote an apology to me this past year. It was so cute and in her best handwriting. She learned a lot for that experience. Her mother is a single parent who does a wonderful job. I am looking forward to reading the book. I would love new ideas to add humor in my classroom.
This is interesting because this year during National Teacher Appreciation week, I decided for the first time, to thank some of my teachers. Usually during this week I look for someone to thank me, but I've finally decided that I don't need thanks for what I do, but I would like to thank those who helped me along the way. I found the email addresses of 11 of my former teachers that stood out to me for one reason or another. From my first grade teacher to my high school physics teacher, I wrote personal letters to these teachers thanking them for all they do. I heard back from most of them, a couple of which I brought to tears. It made me feel good to thank these wonderful teachers.
This coming school year I'm going to dress out of character. I'm actually going to become a character. I teach English literature and I'm going to dress as a character from a novel we read and become that character. I'm going to bring this novel to life. If it works well I may do it for all of our novels. Sounds like a fun idea. I might become Lennie from Of Mice and Men, or Atticus Finch, or Hester Prynne (this would be hilarious as I'm a male).
My wife is always amazed at the number of students and former students that will go out of their way to talk with me while we are out shopping. It does make a person feel good about teaching.
I also have a file of letters from former students and their parents. When times are tough, I look to them for inspiration.
I used to play music at the beginning of the hour. I need to do that again. Music is a great "connector" with students. I also use nonsense sayings, and have odd things displayed in my classroom (like my Mr. Potato Heads). I want to try an "in the news" board, classroom trivia, random student pictures and small weekly classroom changes, to name just a few.
I like to have music playing during the day in my classroom. Typically it's on during Silent Reading Time. That music is either classical or from a musical or a movie soundtrack. Playing music seems to keep the mind focused on their work. I know it blocks out the other noises they hear from around the room or the hall way.
I like to give the kids credit for the work they do. If a parent says "Great Job" after the school musical, I say "Thank you, but the kids worked hard and deserve the credit." Typically they did. They need the gratification too.
We do monthly visits to a local nursing home. I try to "talk up" the students to the residents. Creating conversation starters like "Lauren is a great Hockey player. Did you know she got a goal in her last game?" "This is Josh, isn't he handsome, his favorite color is blue, what's yours?" These quick sentences help open conversation during our visits and lets the students know that I've been listening & paying attention to their conversations.
By paying attention to our students, spending quality time with them, laughing and crying with them, we make huge impressions in their little hearts. Some of the best comes when it is not even planned into our day.
I will be copying some of the things from page 33 to share with my fellow teachers when we have our back to school meetings in August. It's just good reminders what our positive humor can provide.
When I used to teach 8th grade (back in the early 90s), I received a couple of those "thank you" notes that the English teacher had the kids write to their favorite elementary teacher. Since I changed schools a few times, I never had an official file folder where I saved them. I just happen across them once and awhile. And I always take time to read each one, and it makes me feel great. Selfish me, though, I never thought of writing a former teacher to tell them how much I appreciated their style or humor. They are probably all dead or retired by now.
I have an In The News bulletin board that the kids love looking at. Also, I've had some students draw me some comical pictures that I proudly post on the wall. This is the third year I'm in a room that I inherited. Something made me pull down all the posters the previous teacher had up on the last day of school. I hope to lighten up my classroom when I go back in the fall.
I love to share funny teaching moments with my students (p. 61). Like I've said...the older you get, the easier it is to share embarrassing moments.
I think the funniest teachers tend to be Social Studies teachers because they can talk and BS about current events and how they are personally affected by them. Math is so funny....NOT.
Hi again, I talked about the thank you note is a previous post. I love teacher teacher’s post about the thank you notes she sent. What a great idea. Like Holly and Jesse I will be making copies of the benefits of laughter from page 33 and handing them out to the staff at my school.
One idea from section 15 that I wrote down on my play sheet was to share the game A Step in the Right Direction. I thought this would be great at a staff meeting and have the principle move. The questions could be funny like, “Will we have to make up snow days this year?” He likes to have fun so I know he would be on board for a fun game at a staff meeting.
Teacher teacher's idea of sending former teachers thank you notes is wonderful. I find I sometimes feel undervalued as a teacher, and looking at a file of thank you notes would help lift my mood.
Like Kris, I teach foreign language in a high school so many ideas from this book wouldn't work in my setting, but others could be used with a little modification. For example, I use music in my classroom regularly. When students are reviewing for a test, they often ask me to put on their favorite German music. I also have played Trivia games in the target language. Students love to play and always tell me they want to play again. I think a positive graffiti board would be a fun idea for my classroom. Students could positive slogans in German for each other. I also think having classroom stuffed pets for students to take home would be fun. After taking the animals home for the weekend students could report in German about what the animals had done.
One of my most embarrassing moments in the classroom is probably one that I won't share with my students. My first year in teaching I had students working in groups. I was helping a group of girls when one of them gasped really loudly. It turns out that my zipper was open and the turned in time to see me zipper my pants up next to this group of girls. It was a 7th grade class so they had fun with that one. I don't suggest putting it in the next edition of The Laughing Classroom though. :-)
One teacher that I would like to write a letter to is my 3rd grade teacher. She definitively created a classroom of fun. She did this by including humorous music, bringing her many cats to the classroom, and telling stories about them. I also loved an activity that she did in particular. During the week we earned "money" for various things. At the end of the week we were able to spend the money on candy, pencils, etc at a shop she set up in the class. It acted as a little math activity as well because we had to figure out what we could buy and how much of it.
I also found that on pages 36 -53, there are a lot of ideas that I would love to implement into my classroom.
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