The one and only Miss Shuganah. Favorite comedy... Too many to choose from. One of my favorite forms is the shaggy dog tale. Courtesy of my dear ol' Daddio. #weirded
Hello #weirded! I'm a school librarian. I will try to be funny. I will probably not use memes. I think "30 Rock" is a good example of the comedy I enjoy. #lulearns
Hey all! I'm Ashley from South-central PA, and I love watching/quoting: The Office, Parks & Rec, the movie The Other Guys and most Will Ferrel movies and late 90s, early 2000s SNL. #weirdEd
#WeirdEd I'm Doug, the bull goose looney here, and a 5th (soon to be 4th) grade teacher. I asked an impossible question, but I think my favorite comedy is This Is Spinal Tap.
#WeirdEd Thomas Mision, Elementary Ed MN. Is Sarcasm a comedy? Non-sequiturs, puns (both good/bad) and cheesy things I like too. Also, Mel Brooks, and whatever style Airplane! was... Done right.
...but mostly my favorite comedy is anything I use to humiliate myself in front of my kids in order to get the laugh. #WeirdEd I'm so good at it. . . it comes naturally.
Steph, Tech Coach from IL. Picking favorite comedy is too hard, so I’m just going to say how lucky I am to live near Chicago where I can go see Second City on stage whenever I want. That writing. #WeirdEd
I've wanted to do a #weirded chat for at least a month now but I keep forgetting, but I'm here now! Hi all! I'm Howie, first time here! I teach math to future elementary school teachers at Fresno State.
Don't call using humor in the classroom a tool, because then someone will try to run a professional development called How To Be Funny
https://t.co/qvr6S1aLd4
#WeirdEd Q1 In the blog I come down on the side of - You Can't Really Teach Someone To Be Funny In The Classroom.
Argue with me. Or agree, but tell us why.
Hey, #WeirdEd! Been a while. Since @yenneam reminded me this was a thing during the summer, I’m here! (Teaching my gf how to play Civ V, so I’ll be in and out). Favorite comedy is UHF.
Emily, South Florida, middle school Band & Chorus — my sense of humor is not that different than my students. My husband is the funniest person I know & reigning dad jokes champion. #weirded
A1. I can teach someone how my line of thought goes when I try being funny. But then they’d sound like someone trying to act like me trying to act funny and then we’re in the uncanny valley. #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd Q1 In the blog I come down on the side of - You Can't Really Teach Someone To Be Funny In The Classroom.
Argue with me. Or agree, but tell us why.
I don't know if you can teach funny, but you can teach ways to not be unfunny. Basically, you can help remove the negs, but they have to get into positive territory on their own. #WeirdEd
Favorite movie! One day we watched it at school with our drama kids and @megan_hacholski got mad at me because she thought it was "too stupid". #weirded
In reply to
@MrYennePaul, @yenneam, @megan_hacholski
#weirded A1 I think you can’t teach it, but I don’t think we should try either! I definitely connect with my kids through humor, but I know plenty of teachers who don’t need it to do awesome work.
A1: Perhaps you can't teach someone to be funny, but you can teach them to lighten up. Most people are more funny once they learn to relax and laugh at themselves #weirded#lulearns
A1, so of course I loved that you said you’d require acting 101 and improv class for teachers if you had the choice. You can’t teach someone to be funny, but I think you can teach people how to find their funny. How to roll with the punches, yes/and, be in the moment. #WeirdEd
A1: Disagree. Assuming sense of humor is a skill, it can be developed. Ts should try to use it and encourage Ss to do so when suitable. You have your baseline but practice makes you grow! #weirded
A1: I feel like almost anyone could come up with a basic pun, right?? and goodness, if you can't--research ridiculous one or two-liners that just make the kiddos roll their eyes (but secretly love it!) Humor-- good or 'bad' is still a strategy! :) #weirdEd
#WeirdEd Q1 In the blog I come down on the side of - You Can't Really Teach Someone To Be Funny In The Classroom.
Argue with me. Or agree, but tell us why.
A1 It's similar to trying to teach someone how to write. Either someone has that sense of language and not being that literal in their story telling or they don't. #weirded
#weirded A1: I’ve always thought of humor more as a “use what you’ve got” kind of approach. If you naturally have a good sense of humor, don’t be afraid of making jokes, but please never force a humorless person to tell jokes.
#WeirdEd MAN, this is another good answer that's full of potential follow-up. "Lighten up" is a loaded term (it's not how you meant it, not calling you out). Can we teach someone to not take things so seriously? (God, I hope so)
A1: Perhaps you can't teach someone to be funny, but you can teach them to lighten up. Most people are more funny once they learn to relax and laugh at themselves #weirded#lulearns
#WeirdEd A1 Funny is relative. What one person thinks is hilarious another may be like.....what? Why are you laughing? Skills that help with entertainment can be taught, but how to be funny can't in my opinion
#WeirdEd Q1 In the blog I come down on the side of - You Can't Really Teach Someone To Be Funny In The Classroom.
Argue with me. Or agree, but tell us why.
#WeirdEd Into: Emily, ELA teacher and I love comedies like The Office (both the American and the British versions) and Zoolander which has so many quotes that my students do not get.
#WeirdEd Punning is hard until you get your brain moving in that direction, I think. And you gotta be willing to go for the eye roll rather than the laugh
A1 About forty years ago, my mother, a wonderful woman wanted me to teach her how to write creatively. She was too literal for her own good. The creative tough is a delicate balance. #weirded
A1: Teaching someone to be funny is like teaching someone to be sincere. Can you? But, you can maybe help people to be more open and less guarded and let their funny peek out from behind its lil curtain. Because really, we all have our own weird little funny. #WeirdEd
I think funny can be learned but not taught. And the practice to get to funny can be insufferable to those around you. I know several people who got funny, but it was a struggle when they were trying to be funny and weren’t yet. #WeirdEd
Before leaving on a field trip, I always remind my class to get their water bottle, clipboard, snack, and buttfor. Some always asks. It’s delicious. #WeirdEd
I think some people have a natural ability to be funny. Others have to work on it. Generally, my timing is bad and screw up the punchline when telling a joke. #weirded
A1: Our experiences mold and shape our humor. I think I am hysterically funny because my life as a kid was pretty rough. I learned to make fun of my circumstances and experiences rather then let them beat me. #weirded
#weirdEd Re: "lighten up:" I was thinking specifically of many student-teachers who are so earnest and nervous. It takes time and encouragement for them to learn to say, I'm a nerd and it's okay to let that show. #lulearns
#WeirdEd If I make any impact on EduTwitter and education in general, I'd really like it to be that this job is hilarious and we should be laughing about it a lot more.
Yes! This! Everyone has their own personalities, which is why people enjoy different styles of humor. But - laughter and being light hearted are things that teachers can do in the classroom. #WeirdEd
This! We’re spending all day with kids let’s not be so serious all the time. Maybe it’s less about teaching someone to be funny and more about saying it’s okay to have a sense of humor. Laugh at the kids humor. Be weird. And definitely smile before October. #WeirdEd
As someone who is a HUGE introvert, but also did drama in high school & college, drama experience in any form is a huge help in learning new ways to connect with people
A1 My dear ol' Daddio and I used to play off each other. My mom was not our Gracie Allen. Instead she was our Margaret Dumont. When she'd get the joke, she would finally say "you two pixies..." #weirded
I’m not going downstairs to photograph it but a few years ago my husband bought me the Weird Al/Wendy Carlos “Peter & the Wolf” on vinyl. #humblebrag#weirded
I was raised in an environment of non-stop #dadjokes I have been schooled so hard on those. . . and my kids have a never-ending feast of bad one or two-liners. They secretly love them. . . and they make it in the senior edition of the newspaper every year! #weirdEd
Teachers shouldn’t take themselves so seriously as well. Of course there are times that are serious, work needs to be done, discipline needs to happen. But let’s be real, kids are hilarious and sometimes we just need to laugh and acknowledge that! #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd If I make any impact on EduTwitter and education in general, I'd really like it to be that this job is hilarious and we should be laughing about it a lot more.
As someone who is a HUGE introvert, but also did drama in high school & college, drama experience in any form is a huge help in learning new ways to connect with people
A powerful thing about theatre/improv is that you learn to be open and flexible and be okay with imperfection. And perfect is almost NEVER funny. #WeirdEd
In reply to
@MissHunsberger, @TheWeirdTeacher, @rebelrous
A1: I believe the key to being funny is your connection to who you are with and the moment that presents itself...need to think quickly for the moment to be right. #WeirdEd
Great skit. Feeling much that way myself as I begin my second battle with cancer. I hope that I won't soon have that much in common with that parrot. #weirded
Absolutely. I've had freshmen tell me repeatedly, "You're not funny." while seniors (same semester for me now) would go crazy for the jokes. Maybe relatability had something to do with it, better material? #WeirdEd
I definitely think it would help. If it was required, it might drive some folks from the profession. That might not be a bad thing. (I say this as an introvert; I’m not claiming only extroverts should teach.) #WeirdEd
I am delighted to report that the genre "dad jokes" exists across cultures. When I did field work in Japanese our language informant told us about "old man jokes". Same deal. #WeirdEd
In reply to
@branowar, @TheWeirdTeacher, @MrsThrush17
#WeirdEd Yuuup, and one of my big teachin challenges in general is being more introvert-friendly so a lot of times I say things and introverts look at me like I punted their cat
A1: you actually can teach someone to be funny. A friend wrote a book called #TheHumorCode that breaks down humor to a degree that anyone could theoretically learn it. #WeirdEd
A1: Cont'd Ex: talking bout Watergate and Deep Throat. Kid laughs "why would they name him that"...rather than get into story about the porno flick (not approps obvi) I replied "they're not gonna call him Joe Blow" whole class losses it. Me: huh, what? OH Crap! Moved On #WeirdEd
A2 I think I teach funny, most of my Ss think I teach funny, and I think laughing at the mundane makes learning more fun. As long as we're not laughing at people, bring it! If we're measuring on a laugh-o-meter, I guess I do. #weirded
#WeirdEd A2 As with everything else, it's all modeling. With how kids often are, "funny" is usually at the expense of someone else. One can "teach" funny by showing when to draw the line. I'm reminded of this recent article from The Verge: https://t.co/IUaiCeS9JZ
#WeirdEd A2 I teach math. I have to teach "funny" ('funnily", if Tracy, the English teacher is reading this). Otherwise ... I'd be teach math.
To freshmen.
#WeirdEd A2 Yes. Through a combination of weird, crazy voices, bad history puns, and my laugh that reminds most students of an evil villain who switched to the good side
#WeirdEd There's nothing better than cracking yourself up in front of your kids. It's so much fun when that happens. Even better when the kids do it. I had a kid make me cry she said something so funny last year
A2: I teach silly, because I love silly, and I don’t know any other way than silly. I’m lucky in that kids (and sometimes adults) seem to find my silliness funny, and vice versa. But I don’t go into a day thinking, “how am I going to enhance my lesson with humor today?” #WeirdEd
#weirded A2 In more ways than one. I teach crash course comedy when I do creative writing or speeches. Also my teaching style is chock full of in-jokes and references because I think it helps my students engage.
A2: I try to teach funny! I’m sure my flavor isn’t for everyone, but weaving in some jokes, some laughter, some weird dancing (yes, I do, and no it’s not pretty) certainly makes it more enjoyable for me. If I’m miserable, wouldn’t the people I’m teaching be, too? #WeirdEd
A2 I allow funny to happen whether it’s in the work (which comes naturally, because...Theatre) or we’re laughing/riffing about happenings in the class. I water the goofiness profusely. #weirded
A2: Not sure if it can be taught. It's like breathing...you can't teach that. I think it can be acquired much like a taste for new foods or chocolate cake. #weirded
#WeirdEd A2 Especially w/easier access to internet, kids learn to "troll" w/o being taught/seeing the consequences/when to draw the line. "Is it a joke/funny when you're the one laughing and someone else is crying?"
#WeirdEd A2 As with everything else, it's all modeling. With how kids often are, "funny" is usually at the expense of someone else. One can "teach" funny by showing when to draw the line. I'm reminded of this recent article from The Verge: https://t.co/IUaiCeS9JZ
I think my father-in-law tells a lot of them too. I'm not sure because the Italian dialect starts to creep in, right before he laughs at his own jokes
#WeirdEd
In reply to
@edutinker, @branowar, @TheWeirdTeacher, @MrsThrush17
A2: bro I did this one early.
I don’t see “teaching funny” as a choice in my area. (Where is @slwindisch to back me up!!) It’s the tradition of music educators to #edutain & it’s hard not to. #weirded
A2: I can laugh at myself, I’m not afraid to do something wacky to get a reaction out of my students when I think it’s needed, and when I know my kids well enough that I know it will build connection, I joke with them. But I don’t think of myself as funny. #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd Of course there's a TEDtalk about this. I have a theory I just made up right this second that you could think of literally ANY topic and there would be a TEDtalk on it
A2: Yep. I gesture like crazy when teaching! And I talk fast when I get excited and I use full body expression and emotion and drama and sarcasm (cause middle school) and it makes kids laugh, but it works for me because I’m being real with students. #WeirdEd
Probably a different direction than the intended question, but this has been in the forefront of my mind in a long time. Especially when the whole Logan Paul Japanese forest debacle occurred + seeing actual Paul fans as my Ss... #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd A2 Especially w/easier access to internet, kids learn to "troll" w/o being taught/seeing the consequences/when to draw the line. "Is it a joke/funny when you're the one laughing and someone else is crying?"
#WeirdEd A2 As with everything else, it's all modeling. With how kids often are, "funny" is usually at the expense of someone else. One can "teach" funny by showing when to draw the line. I'm reminded of this recent article from The Verge: https://t.co/IUaiCeS9JZ
A2 I teach weird, in that my methods stand out from most of what's around me. I can absolutely be silly, especially when we do grammar exercises, because what's the point otherwise? And the kids crack me up on the regular. But I don't generate the humor, usually. #WeirdEd
You can teach someone the theory of funny, but does that make them funny ... I can read a book on guitar playing but that won’t make me a guitar player. #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd No no no, this is perfect! At the isk of sounding like an Old Man, a lot of these YouTube stars aren't funny, just annoying. But you're also allowed to like bad things as a kid.
A2 (Taking the question the other direction) I teach timing, I teach reading the room, I teach finding funny in the mundane, I teach honoring someone else's attempts a humor and encouraging them to keep trying. Perseverance! #weirded
Oh my god yes. The best was “[My brother, who’s also in band] ate a whole COLORING book when he was a kid!” That class was a total loss otherwise. That story has survived the many years. #weirded
I teach 'funny'. I remember trudging through classes with dull teachers growing up. Kids don't want to be bored. Keep it fun and you get much more out of them. As @burgessdave says, they will run down the hall to get to your class. #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd A2 Also, I get weird looks all the time when I talk (read: gush) about MLP, Star Wars, and Moana or Elsa. THere's cool Minnesotans and there's COLD Minnesotans...
#WeirdEd A2 Especially w/easier access to internet, kids learn to "troll" w/o being taught/seeing the consequences/when to draw the line. "Is it a joke/funny when you're the one laughing and someone else is crying?"
#WeirdEd A2 As with everything else, it's all modeling. With how kids often are, "funny" is usually at the expense of someone else. One can "teach" funny by showing when to draw the line. I'm reminded of this recent article from The Verge: https://t.co/IUaiCeS9JZ
#WeirdEd Q3 Ok ok ok, so is part of teaching funny actually letting the kids be funny? And, bc its come up, how do we teach the kids where the line is? Bc the Funny Line moves.
#WeirdEd True, though considering how sheltered and smothering my late grandma was, I don't think I saw anything resembling troll culture when I grew up. I dunno, I think I hit that Old Man thing at 23 or something.... LOL. 1/?
Yes, this! Letting students have fun and also sometimes poking fun at the work you're doing, because let's face it sometimes it can be a little absurd. #weirded#LUlearns
A2 I allow funny to happen whether it’s in the work (which comes naturally, because...Theatre) or we’re laughing/riffing about happenings in the class. I water the goofiness profusely. #weirded
My middle school band director was a joke-a-freaking minute, always putting herself out there to be laughed at, and played lots & lots of Dr. Demento & Zappa. To say I’m molded in her honor would be a massive compliment. #weirded
#WeirdEd A story about the subjectivity of humor in class. My 4th or 5th year teaching HS, I had a senior stats class (not AP or anything), and one of the best students was always laughing at what I was saying.
#WeirdEd He used to ask me if I watched Dave Chapelle and other Comedy Central shows of the time. He told there was a show that I should submit scripts to (something about "Shorties"). Anyway, he liked me as a math teacher. I was his favorite, but then +
My generation invented "random" humor and I thought it was going to be the death of everything. Then came "for the lulz" and we got this damn president. #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd No no no, this is perfect! At the isk of sounding like an Old Man, a lot of these YouTube stars aren't funny, just annoying. But you're also allowed to like bad things as a kid.
A3 That's part of life. They have to learn when to recognize when the funny line (or any line for that matter) moves. My Ss recognize when I say "Ok ok... let's keep going" or something like that as "Time to chill" Kids get to be funny as long as it relates #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd I've had to tell them to knock it off so much. BUT, as I've begun to realize, if both receiver and messenger are "in" on the joke, I should just let it be. If they begin to do it to other people who aren't "in on the joke," and hurts their feelings, well... that's diff
#weirded I second this. I once stopped in the middle of a lesson to explain the difference between being cruel and “pranking” someone. If it’s a prank, then both parties are laughing at the end of it.
#WeirdEd then he told me about the math teacher he hated. Now, I don't like students ragging on my colleagues. But he told me about the humorless guy who taught Geometry a couple years earlier. Couldn't stand him at all.
You gotta set up the funny line and know what the Ss can handle. I called a kid in my 1st year Sr gov. class "mophead" once because of his super curly shaggy hair. Sr kids loved it but it was a one day joke bc I kept it that way #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd I like pointing out the most ridiculous thing that happens during the day like that. "This is all you're gonna rememebr from today. You'll get hom, mom will ask what you learned at school, you'll say, 'I dunno, but Mr Robertson fell off a chair!"
#WeirdEd 2/? another thing, too. Maybe it's similar to when Kids saw violent movies/ played violent video games or something, but I still don't think guardians are having the right convos w/kids because they're not fully examining the content of what their kids watch on Youtube
A3: It is important to let the *students* be funny--organically--in the class. It helps to unify the class (so long as no bullying) & shows a form of vulnerability!--especially if the funny is somewhat self-deprecating! #WeirdEd
THEN when my students meet other directors, they say, “MISS SO & SO IS EVEN WORSE THAN YOU!!”
“Well, they clearly passed the bad jokes class at band director college, too.”
#weirded
I think it helps that I am generally tolerant about how kids choose to express themselves. (Many teachable moments abt funny vs disrespectful). I laugh at myself, they laugh, they feel safer, perhaps. (In 20 years, occasionally out of hand but such is life) #weirded
A3 A large part of teaching is encouraging student voice. For many of them, that includes humor. I have 2 major ways to address crossing the line (outside of talking to the kid 1-on-1). One is I have a “inappropriate” buzzer and they know they need to rewind and take 2 #WeirdEd
A3: I think it starts with being honest about what is hurtful about jokes that cross the line instead of just telling kids “it’s not funny”. It’s also helpful to have been someone who has (and occasionally still) crosses that line, and have some empathy for them. #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd Jokes that we're all in on together are good, when you're not laughing at someone. Sometimes I evern explicitly ask, "We're not laughing at yo, with you. Did it feel like that, bc if not we can talk about it."
#WeirdEd A3 my coworker made fun of me because it sounded too “kiddy” (I teach middle school) but I stole the “no meanness zone” from @burgessdave and #tlap. It gets the point across though!
#WeirdEd Lol, I'm glad it was a good thing, the weird looks I get from kids are more like, "YOu're embarrassing.... Please stop." Like a couple of days ago, during a dodgeball game in gym, I put my hood up and started cackling/quoting Emperor Palpatine, kid told me to get help XD
A3 we need to teach students that we can be funny but we still need to be respectful and if anyone speaks up and says that they find a joke we have said offensive then we need to apologise and stop #weirded
#weirded A3: Two approaches: First, good satire punches up, not down. Most students don’t intrinsically understand that. Second, trial and error is a big part of comedy. Finding the line is a part of that.
A3 It's essential to consider shifts in culture. For instance jokes I learned as a kid I would never share with anyone now. They were racist jokes. But at the time we didn't get that. #weirded
#WeirdEd So I was running a PD for a middle school and I was going on and on about Tableaux, where you use your body to define words. And I declared, "All of you could use this! Any subject!" And a teacher in the back goes, "Not me." I asked why. "I teach Human Growth and Dev"
A3: I had a moment where I cried from laughing from Ss joking with each other. But I emphasize that our classroom is a safe space where we embrace mistakes, so if a S makes fun of an error that another S made and they are embarrassed, that's where I draw the line. #weirded
A3 (cont.) My 2nd way is for anything determined “not cool“ (a put down) you’ve got to give two put-ups. I continued this practice from the middle school theatre teacher, & it’s effective at the high school level. It’s turned some really down moments into great ones. #WeirdEd
“When I came in to observe, I heard you make a joke, can I see that joke in your lesson plans as well as the standard that off the cuff remark was tied too?” #WeirdEd
I had a good 5 or 6 year run with high schoolers weren't sure they could admit that they were the original Barney generation. Also, I'd tell them to take out their handy-dandy notebooks.
They made fun ... but they did. #WeirdEd
In reply to
@readrunteachVA, @TheWeirdTeacher, @burgessdave
#WeirdEd Teaching kids to read the room and know their audience is super vital. Plu,s, it ties to their writing and presentations. Hey, we did an academic thing!
A3 Back in the 60s my cousin and I used to do this joke involving slanting ones eyes. Essentially anti Asian but at the time we thought it was funny. #weirded
I always turn that around on me. If a kid becomes uncomfortable, then the joke becomes making fun of your teacher. ALWAYS be the butt of the joke. We can handle it — the kids can’t always. #weirded
#WeirdEd And it turns out that whole show's attitude of "Both sies are just as bad" is actually being weak and not taking a side and screwing us a little
#WeirdEd A3 Omg, I struggle with this... Believe it or not, I do tend to be more serious during a lesson. It's the in-betweens (in hallways, during recess,transitions,etc.) where I'm joking around. I usually draw the line at interrupting me
Also super-important: When the joke is over. Time to move on. Stop milking it. Okay, you're beating a dead horse now. Don't make me tell you the story where "beating a dead horse" comes from Jason ... uh, wait, where was I?
#WeirdEd
A3: Allowing the student to be funny is allowed, because it develops their creativity, as well as communication skills. When a line is crossed it is a chance to teach with kindness. It is a social teachable moment.#WeirdEd
If they want, but there is a difference between learning a joke and sharing than just dropping something ridiculously funny during a conversation #weirded
Agreed. But also sometimes I have to be "the bad guy" who says I'm offended by something because I can sense that a student is offended. I speak up so they don't have to. #weirded#lulearns
In reply to
@rebelmusicteach, @TheWeirdTeacher, @MrsThrush17
The SLP and I used to record simple jokes with some of our kiddos so they could hear how I said it vs how they said it-great figurative language lessons for some very literal learners too! And they learned how to make a joke sound funny.
A3 You need to look at humor in context. Jokes considered funny even twenty, thirty years ago would never be considered funny now unless one is truly a racist who doesn't give a damn. #weirded
#WeirdEd I haven't seen enough to judge. LOL. Though I did like the Mysterion stuff.... And I like the recent video games, 'cause they're actually pretty good.
#WeirdEd By the way, they're bring back Blue's Clues. With a new "Steve" (who probably won't be named "Steve"). It's going to be like the original shows were.
In reply to
@readrunteachVA, @TheWeirdTeacher, @burgessdave
Oh absofriggenlutely. It would not be entirely out of place to blame them a little for our current political troubles. But in high school in the late 90s...yeah. #weirded
A4: Are you kind and compassionate? Can you laugh when someone else is funny? Can you celebrate humor in the classroom when it’s organic? I think it’s okay to not be the “funny one.” (I still maintain we all have our own weird little funny.) #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd I kinda feel like Q4 is a loaded question bc, with the exception of the Orange Menace and his ilk, everyone is funny somehow. I think anyone here saying "I'm not funny" probably is, but is defining it differently
A4: If you don't believe yourself to be funny--as long as you aren't a MEAN teacher, I'm sure students will still find humor in (esp. repetitive) phrases that you use. . just go with it and make it your 'coined phrase" and allow them to give you a jab occasionally. #WeirdEd
A4: Even if you’re not personally funny (gah please don’t force it!), you can still laugh and allow for laughter. One of my current favorite lyrics from the Avett Brothers is “I’m gonna fall down, yeah I know I am. When the crowd cracks up, I’ll laugh at them.“ #WeirdEd
Q4: Students do not care if you are funny - they care that YOU CARE. My favorite teachers were not funny, but were wholeheartedly compassionate.#WeirdEd
A4: Be yourself, lighten up. Don’t force it if it’s not your thing. I had plenty of teachers I loved that weren’t funny and even now I see kids whose favorite teacher has never cracked a smile let alone a joke, but they care and that’s what matters. #WeirdEd
A4 You can make your class funny without having to come up with the humor yourself. Embrace the comedy in mentor texts, make it a contest to come up with the funniest example of X, etc.
If you don't have a sense of humor, that's a different and bigger problem. #WeirdEd
Too bad you can't just hire Gracie Allen.
George Burns would say, "Gracie, how's your brother doing?" and then step back until the end of the act. #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd A4 If I know I'm not funny, I don't think I'd really try to be funny. Especially since my jokes tend to be references from stuff I knew growing up, thus likely to fly past the heads of the little ones.... LOL
#WeirdEd Sometimes during read alouds I'll read what I know is supposed to be funny, and the kids don't laugh. So either I read it bad (possible) or they didn't get it. So we get to stop and take it apart organixally
A4 I don't know - it's like saying some people are not math people - i think everyone is funny in their own way, different people do like different styles of humour, if you feel you can't come up with the joke - share someone else's #weirded
You know, for all the times I've had dead silence after I've asked a question, and then said, "Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?" -- no one has ever asked me. Hell, even i don't remember when/why I started doing this! #WeirdEd
It was my favorite social skills lesson to teach. Way more fun than how to handle losing a board game. One of my 4gr boys practiced until he was a pro and told them on the playground. Went from weirdo to funny kid and gained some friends. #WeirdEd#WeirdEdVirgin#HowDoITwitter😉
It was my favorite social skills lesson to teach. Way more fun than how to handle losing a board game. One of my 4gr boys practiced until he was a pro and told them on the playground. Went from weirdo to funny kid and gained some friends. #WeirdEd#WeirdEdVirgin#HowDoITwitter😉
I was thinking about something I read a long time ago about how women tend to call someone funny if they make her laugh, and men tend to call someone funny if they laugh at his jokes. Doubt this falls so neatly but I do think people define humor differently. #WeirdEd
I was thinking about something I read a long time ago about how women tend to call someone funny if they make her laugh, and men tend to call someone funny if they laugh at his jokes. Doubt this falls so neatly but I do think people define humor differently. #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd Q5 Wide Open Question- What's your favorite funny book to read in class? Or what's something funny a kid did that still makes you laugh? Or what's a bad joke you love? BRING IT
Gotta love when that happens. Probably older siblings. (My oldest brother was 15 years older than me, so I know a bit more about "his time" than others in my class. #WeirdEd
A5 Back in 2012, as my mom was in a coma, I read Fractured Fairytales to her. I doubt she cared, but it helped me deal with the grief of losing her. #weirded
A5 Elephant and Piggie books, with voices I stol...adapted from @yenneam. Doesn’t matter why age, they love it. Also, most Mac Barnett stuff my kids have loved. For a chapter book: Hoot by Carl Hiassen. #WeirdEd
A5 Teachers at my school will stop working to read an Elephant and Piggie book out loud with each other. Without kids present. We just love them. #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd A5 Algebra teacher.
Last of a series of expressions will be
"How much is 5Q + 5Q?"
"10Q"
"You're welcome."
Do this every year. Sometimes FOUR times in one year and they still fall for it!
Tongue twisters, mad libs, and vocab games like “Don’t say it” are always so fun! We find them to be laugh till we cry and have abs hilarious! I feel like I integrating humor helps students to remember concepts, reduce anxiety, and creates an open atmosphere ❤️
#WeirdEd Q5 Wide Open Question- What's your favorite funny book to read in class? Or what's something funny a kid did that still makes you laugh? Or what's a bad joke you love? BRING IT
A5 My dear ol' Daddio once made up a joke about the Jolly Green Giant and Folger's Coffee. My mom took it literally and repeated it to company. You had to have been there. #weirded
Last year one of my emerging novelists started a long piece about a loser MAGA kid whose dad/boss fires him and marries a hot Latina and it was kind of wonderful #WeirdEd
#WeirdEd Thanks to @TheWeirdTeacher The Book With no Pictures is HILARIOUS AF. Really helps me lighten up when I do a read aloud with it.
Personal reading, Terry Pratchett and that kind of humor....
