Keep Your Fun Teachers Fun

My favorite memory of high school was the Gatsby party.  After all the classes that read the Fitzgerald classic were finished, the entire English hallway was decorated as a great tent.  Students brought food that reflected the novel, dressed in costumes that reflected the 20's, and danced the Charleston to jazz music.  While we were only supposed to come during our English class period and lunch, party crashers are motif of the novel; so it wasn't considered particularly egregious if you tried to come during another time.  Half your grade was based on your committee work (project based learning before the internet made it easy) and half was based on your costume.  When I taught at my old high school, I was horrified to find out that they no longer have this event.  Why?  It got out of control.  Students trashed the rooms and the hallway and didn't stay to clean up.  This great event no longer exists because a small number of people couldn't exhibit a minimum of responsibility.  It would have only taken about 10-15 students out of over 350 students, but there weren't that many.  As a young teacher, my first thought was to put 15 students on a clean up committee, but I now realize that committee would not teach content the way the other committees do.

Teach for a while, and it will happen.  You will stop doing something you used to love doing because it just isn't worth the impact on your classroom.  The chaos that comes from playing a particular review game or engaging in a certain project is just too much to control.  Then, some outspoken student will say it, "I heard you used to be fun."

One of our teachers was once known for his review games.  They were so intense that there was once an injury.  That teacher no longer plays review games because students were so focused on diving for their answer, they wouldn't take the time to listen to the review part of the review game.  This past year, I stopped playing Kahoot as a review game with one of my grades because they stopped reading the choices and just hit an answer, which made the test average the next day much lower than normal.    When students use that phrase "used to be fun," they don't stop to think about where the fun went and why.  Therefore, the rest of this post is a service to students.  These are the top five ways you, as a student, can keep a fun teachers fun.

5.  Learn each teacher's "tell."
Every teacher has a signal that you are reaching the line or are crossing it (every human being, for that matter).  If you learn that "tell," you won't have to recognize the one that says, "Look behind you.  The line is back there."  For some teachers, it is that they top talking and close their eyes (probably counting to ten).  For others, it may be a facial expression.  For me, it is when I say, "Alright, enough."  I actually mean enough when I say it.  If students would stop whatever they are doing right when they recognize the "tell," they would end up in much less trouble.  The kid in your class with interpersonal intelligence will be able to tell you what it is for every teacher.

4.  Own your guilt.
I don't know who decided that denying what you have done means you didn't do it, but it doesn't.  If you didn't do your homework, say it rather than telling your parents that the teacher lost it.  If you didn't write a paper, don't pretend to look for it in your book bag.  When a teacher tells you to stop talking, it is because they have seen you talking.  Saying you weren't talking is the equivalent of calling them stupid or liars.  The last time I truly lost my cool with a student was because of this.  The student had talked and laughed during our opening prayer.  I found this disrespectful to me as well as to God.  My eyes were not closed (not only because I'm not crazy enough to close my eyes in class but because I lose equilibrium and fall down if I close my eyes while standing), so I had seen him.  I sent him to the hall.  When I went out to talk to him, he actually said, "Miss Hawks, I don't know what you are talking about."  I knew what I had seen and lost my mind.  If he had said, "I'm sorry.  I know it was disrespectful.  It won't happen again." I would have forgiven him.  His insistence on adding lying to the disrespect was the worst possible idea.

3.  Recognize why you are at school.
So, this is where the problem with review games and hands on activities comes in.  Teachers don't play review games with you because they care about you having fun.  We like that you are having fun, but that is not the point of the game.  Teachers know that serotonin, the neurotransmitter released when you are having fun, is also responsible for writing long term memories in your brain.  That is why my teaching involves jokes and stories about my cat and analogies related to childhood toys.  It is also why we play ScienceLand and Quizlet Live and Kahoot.  However, the most important part of the review is between the questions, when we review what makes the correct answer correct and the others incorrect.  That's the review part, and that's what will help you with your test.  Focusing on points (the marks on the board that will literally become dust at the end of class) is not going to help you.  It is also only going to frustrate the teacher who wrote the test when we are trying to give you information about what is going to be on the test that we wrote.  We know what you need and are desperately trying to give it to you; trust us.

2.  When a teacher is fussing at you, DO NOT LAUGH!
I had trouble deciding on the placement of this one because it could easily be #1 on this list.  Imagine that you are talking about something that is bothering you.  It is really important to you, so you are kind of worked up about it.  Now, imagine that the person you are talking to about it starts smirking at you or laughing in the middle of what you are saying.  Would you be upset by that?  Add to that that the person who is openly laughing in your face is the reason you are bothered in the first place.  Would you find that horribly dismissive and disrespectful.  A student left my room last year and said, "I got in trouble for smiling."  He was half right.  He got in trouble for smiling at the worst possible time.  Your teacher isn't just in a mood, so be respectful.  In the end, that will earn you the respect of the teacher.  Laughing in that moment will not.

1.  When a teacher tells you do something, do it.  Don't explain why you aren't doing it.  
I put this at number one because if students did this alone, it would eliminate most of the need for numbers 2 and 4.  When a teacher says, "Please sit down," the result she is hoping for his your but in a chair.  She is not looking for an explanation of why you were up in the first place.  When a teacher says, "get back to work," she wants you to get back to work.  She doesn't want three minutes on what caused you to get off task to begin with.  Very few things in class actually require a full explanation.  Here's a good rule.  When a teacher says something to you, the next word out of your mouth should not begin with "but I was just."  If an explanation actually would be helpful, your teacher will be much more open to it if you have already done what was asked.