How to be Funny in the Classroom Guide for the Substitute Teacher (page 3)

How Can I Use my Sense of Humor in the Primary Grades?

Jenna Mathews began her day as a sub with a tear stained blouse, trying to console a six-year-old girl in her first-grade class. As the children entered the room, Jenna learned that two students had argued on the bus. Sarah came in crying uncontrollably. There was no way to calm her down. Jenna dried her tears, but the sobs continued, even when Jenna tried to distract her. This crying spell was escalating out of control.

The argument on the bus was over long ago, but the pain continued. Jenna knew that all the reasoning in the world would not make the crying stop. Because she was an experienced sub, Jenna Mathews began making very small crying sounds herself. Immediately Sarah quieted down and looked strangely at her sub. Ms. Mathews explained that if Sarah continued to cry, she would have to cry too since it was so sad to listen to those sobs. The more Ms. Mathews “cried,” the bigger the smile grew on Sarah’s face. Soon they were both laughing. Problem solved.

How Do I Know When Humor Will Work?

When you need to lighten up a situation, a smile is your best tool. It diffuses tension and shows that you are in control. It takes confidence to use humor effectively, and confidence is the image you want to project.

But you have to feel comfortable using humor in the classroom. If this is not authentic for you, then you shouldn’t even attempt it. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t smile. For many teachers, however, the children are an audience and the classroom is their stage. Sometimes you have to be a dramatic actor, and sometimes you need to be a comedian.

A successful teacher and high school basketball coach from New York City once told me that he started each day with a joke for his students. The jokes were usually pretty corny, but over time, he developed excellent comic timing and delivery. His students began looking forward to his morning jokes and would object if he started a day without one. A bond was formed.

Because of his sense of humor, virtually every student considered Coach a great guy. It was obvious that he was comfortable with himself and comfortable with the students in his classes. By making the effort to find jokes for them each day, he demonstrated that he cared. Instant respect!

How Do I Know if a Joke is Appropriate?

Obviously, you must be very sensitive to content. It is never appropriate to tell a joke that has racial, sexual, or gender biased overtones—no matter how innocent it is or how many laughs it might get. Under no circumstance is it appropriate to tell a joke that indirectly ridicules a specific student or group of students. Never make a joke at the expense of a student. Stated bluntly, never tell a joke that you wouldn’t want to see printed in the newspaper under your picture.

Certain jokes are appropriate only for specific grade levels. Students in primary grades, for instance, love riddles and silly rhymes. They like jokes that they can remember and repeat to siblings and parents. Ask students to tell jokes and riddles to the group. They love to take the stage, and I have found that students listen to their classmates more than they listen to the teacher. Here is a joke that I learned from a first grader:

Question: Where are pencils made?

Answer: In Pennsylvania

Jokes for middle school students can be more sophisticated. Ideally, the humor you use with middle schoolers should have some direct relationship to their world.

Regardless of the types of jokes you choose or your application of humor to everyday classroom events, it’s important to be spontaneous. Humor and jokes bomb when they appear to be contrived or forced. Start out slowly and see how it goes.

It’s also important to recognize that smiles must be earned, especially when you’re dealing with middle school students. When you first meet a middle school class, a big smile might be misinterpreted by the students. As strange as it might seem, they may think of you as an easy mark—weak and insecure. Let students earn your smile. If you are particularly charmed by a comment or especially proud or touched by a special moment, let yourself smile to reward the situation.

Is It Ever Appropriate to Use Sarcasm Rather than Humor?

I’m against the use of sarcasm because it belittles the student and rarely accomplishes its intended goal. In many instances, students perceive a sarcastic remark as mean-spirited. However, some teachers find it to be effective for classroom management and use it effectively with older children.