I’m passionate about humour as a survival technique for students AND teachers! I teach students how to see humour in everyday situations. Research says:
- People remember things better with humour
- Funny test directions get better results on exams
- Humour makes people think more flexibly and try more novel ideas when problem solving Because types of humour and perceptions of humour vary greatly, I start my humour lessons with T. V. references. A lively discussion always happens over what show is funny, what characters are the funniest (please note that usually females are not nominated!) and why they are funny. After that discussion, I have the class talk about what gets them laughing and we discuss different types of humour.
- Students go on to develop funny stories about themselves. I have many stories about myself because:
- I think if one student is able to deal with a bully by laughing it is certainly worth the effort on my part. Fortunately, I see the humour in most situations and truly cope with my problems by fantasizing about confronting bullies with fabulous come-backs to the hurtful things they say. Just as important as discussing funny lines is explaining to students that you don’t actually SAY them out loud – especially if the bully is with his by-stander buddies!
- You can get the focus of the students on you for your very important big announcement
- Your life lesson isn’t a lecture – you are not their mother and are not depending on these students to support you in your old age
- You can break up that boring lesson… you know the one!
- A story quickly gets the attention of the class during airplane making season Humour belongs in the classroom. Think about the connections you’ve made by laughing WITH your students. Teach humour.
- Originally I taught humour in my grade eight health classes to empower the girls to be funny. In my first attempt, one of my female students met the challenge of telling a funny story about herself… and she just wanted to tell more stories! I doubt whether a bully would stand a chance with her newly discovered verbal creativity!