“You should be a comedian!!!!!”
Yesterday, a freshman told me in front of the class that I should be a comedian. I joke often that I am “the funny one” in the family. However, I never really thought about how often I actually do try to get a laugh out of students.
I don’t tell jokes, I don’t try to “roast” them, I don’t self-deprecate (too often), but I do try to be dorky, nerdy, silly, and laugh often to create a certain classroom feel. Research is somewhat inconclusive about the use of humor in the classroom. There are studies that show humor does not increase learning and I am okay with that because that is never truly my aim with class laughter. For me, laughter makes life better. For my students, I believe that laughter disarms them, makes them take a breath, relieves the pressure of their daily school grind, and makes my classroom a safe place.
For example, yesterday again (it was a pretty good Tuesday if I do say so myself), a student was sharing his prayer. He was talking about his family tradition of going to a pumpkin patch every Halloween and during his description of the patch he momentarily forgot who he was speaking to and commented about the “big a** pumpkins”. Almost immediately I gasped and then burst into laughter with all 30 juniors, including the student who said it, also breaking out into laughter. He immediately apologized with a giant smile, blushing only a little in embarrassment. We all gathered ourselves and he went on with his prayer and he received a great round of applause from his classmates. It is in these moments in a classroom that I love laughter. It never takes away from class rules and expectations, respect for one another, or sincerity, but keeps us all a little more relaxed and a little more human.
“Laughter has been implanted in our soul, that the soul may sometime be refreshed.”
— St. John Chrysostom
“It is requisite for the relaxation of the mind that we make use, from time to time, of playful deeds and jokes.” — St. Thomas Aquinas
“Lord, give me a sense of humor so that I may take some happiness from this life.” — St. Thomas More
“Humor is the foundation of reconciliation.” — St. Francis de Sales