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Bat-Child Found in Cave: The Dynamics of Humor in the Progressive Classroom

Teaching eighth graders requires a well-cultivated sense of humor. How else could one face the daily onslaught of adolescence in action? In the course of a typical day, a teacher might be insulted about his or her hairstyle; forced to listen to the explicit wisdom of Blink 182 and other Generation Y musical choices; asked to affirm the taste and sophistication of green hair, wallet chains, and extralarge pants that begin significantly below the waist; and called upon to mediate the coed struggles that are commonplace among hormonally charged fourteenyear-olds. In the classroom, it is a sense of humor that can get a teacher through a day of incessantly repeating simple instructions, juggling conflicting personalities, accommodating a variety of learning styles and aptitudes, and handling the random distractions and absurdities that could strike at any time. While a sense of humor is a necessity for maintaining a Middle School teacher’s psychological well-being, it is not always utilized as a classroom strategy. But, when employed creatively and strategically, humor can serve a variety of teacher and student needs and greatly support students in the processes of learning and maturing. When injected into the curriculum and school life, humor can: