Celebrate everything

As often as possible, celebrate

Student: Hi mom, I’ve missed you.

Me: Did you just call me mom?

Student: Look, I can’t say your last name, and it fits. Go with it.

Student (from the class that believes using pet names = love): How’s hubby wubby fuzzy bear? Did he have a good Christmas?

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Senior #1: Oh my gosh you guys, Mrs D listened to us! Come look at her diploma. She did get her master’s degree!

Senior #2: We are so proud of you Mrs D.

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Student (with dyslexia): So if I volunteer to read, even though I’m going to mess it up, I’ll get extra credit?

Me: yes

Student: Buckle up kids, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride.

—

The number of times I have had to bite my cheek to control my laughter while standing before students is insane. Friends, these young people are funny. Sometimes they are going for the laugh, but more often than not, they are just being themselves. And they need to laugh.

I wonder when the shift happened, when we started expecting teenagers to function like adults. The very idea is ironic when most adults cannot seem to function as adults these days. Yet, we continually heap more and more expectations on the young shoulders of teenagers than wonder why they are crumbling in record numbers.

Students often ask how I put up with being a teacher every day. My honest answer? “Hold things lightly, take nothing personally, and have a sense of humor.” So we laugh, often, in my classroom. There are days it is hard to wrangle them (and me) together to focus on lessons, but I know if I can get them to relax a little, they will actually learn better.

Here’s the secret I have discovered, folks. Go ahead, lean in. When students are relaxed, can laugh, are free to be silly, they do not fear making mistakes. They are freer to ask questions, participate in discussions, and attempt work they would otherwise skip. The laughter? It opens the door to be okay with making mistakes because that is how we learn.

Want to call me mom? Go ahead, if that’s going to help you know you’re accepted and welcomed. Celebrate one another and even their teacher? I am all in. Admit a struggle but try anyway? Every single day, yes, please, thank you.

We (teachers, school districts, parents) get so caught up in grades and test scores, we sometimes forget there are young minds on the other side of those things. Those minds are trying to figure out who they are, where they fit, and questioning if they have what it takes to make it in this world. Maybe what we are missing is the fun, the reminders that play is creative learning and that laughter reduces stress. Maybe they will find their answers in rooms filled with laughter.

There are so many things outside of my control, but what I can do is lean into the silliness, do my best to teach the lessons, and laugh alongside of them.