I think that most teachers underestimate the power of humor. Just a couple of jokes here and there can turn a mind-numbing lecture into a lively discussion. Mr. Allen demonstrated the power of laughter with his sparknotes joke, which made the whole class crack up. That day was really stressful for me what with all the pruebas and noticias going on and having to worry about social studies and english tests the following Monday and Tuesday. Just that little bit of humor brightened my day a little bit and relieved some of the stress. I definitely think that teachers should be more willing to joke around with their students. Not only would that make class more enjoyable, but it would also make the students like the teacher more, which is always a good thing.
Not only would more humor be a positive thing in the classroom, but it would help to relieve anxiety in any situation. For example, a couple of years ago my dad turned 50 and had to go in for a prostate exam, which involves, among other things, the doctor sticking his finger up your butt. Needless to say, he wasn't thrilled about it and was a little nervous. When he got into the examining room, the doctor told him a joke (in the interest of keeping this post PG-rated, I probably shouldn't repeat it), which my dad said made him feel a lot more relaxed.
In conclusion, though it seems kind of silly, my Best of the Week wasn't an insightful King Lear insight or a really good comment pertaining to Artful Sentences. Rather, it was a brief moment of laughter, an occurrence that doesn't happen nearly enough during the school day.
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4 comments:
Brandon, I agree that humor makes school much easier. Sometimes, as in the case of my math teacher, the things he does (accidentally) allow all of the students to laugh at him and brighten our days.
I completely agree with the statement that jokes can really turn a lecture, discussion or class around; I think they can also even help you remember information. They don't even have to be witty; sometimes an extremely corny joke can be hilarious and very tension-relieving. They can also be completely random, in the case of my Chemistry teacher: the other day, while we were learning about quantum mechanics, there was something called an "Aufbau diagram". He said, "I've realized it's extremely fun to yell German words loudly. AUFBAU!", making us all jump out of our seats. It was really funny,now it's easier for me to remember what that is, and it gave me a happier outlook on attending his class.
I think the fact that you couldn't repeat either of the jokes you referenced within your blog post speaks to the reasons that teachers don't usually joke around with classes. Not only are they older, but their responsibility is to educate and enrich, and do so professionally, versus crack jokes.
I do like funny teachers, and I think humor can be a good tool in explanation as soon as providing relief, but there is a line.
These days, education is becoming more and more serious because our futures are the most important things to students. But with that, all we can focus on is our grades and recommendations for the following school year. We only worry about writing down every word the teacher says during a lecture, instead of actually absorbing what he/she says; humor can help students relax, sit back, and really listen to what they are being taught.
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