So I have this child in one of my afternoon classes who..well, let's say that the emotions of this human are not all in check. She will be perfectly fine one minute and then doesn't get her way the next and suddenly the classroom is her punching bag. I want to say there's some subconscious emotional need somewhere that isn't being met, or she might just be spoiled rotten...either way, her teacher and I deal with the issue regularly.
Today I came in to start the class and she was mid-tantrum because her teacher wouldn't allow her to use the restroom due to her behavior. I gave her a few minutes to calm down before she asked me (angrily, as if I was her worst enemy). I told her she could go when she lost the attitude and she of course went into another not-so-silent fit of rage. Normally, her teacher and I respond either by telling her she needs to remove herself from the room to calm down, or by ignoring her until she calms down. Something about today had me in a fantastic mood and I refused to let an 8-year old ruin it. So instead, I told her that all she had to do was ask me with a smile and she could go. Didn't work the first time, then I persisted and grinned at her until the entire class was doubled-over (they probably thought my face was stuck)...but eventually it worked!
Honestly, the laughter lightened the mood in the room and our lesson was so much more enjoyable after that....it made me wonder why we don't utilize the power of laughter and smiles more often. Maybe because it's so much easier to just yell at these hooligans when they start actin' a fool...but they respond so much better to humor and I think some of the most important lessons can be taught just as easily using smiles. Could be that I'm not yet jaded by the world of education, but I think teachers should be able to get silly with their students if they want to really connect with them. What do you think?
Today I came in to start the class and she was mid-tantrum because her teacher wouldn't allow her to use the restroom due to her behavior. I gave her a few minutes to calm down before she asked me (angrily, as if I was her worst enemy). I told her she could go when she lost the attitude and she of course went into another not-so-silent fit of rage. Normally, her teacher and I respond either by telling her she needs to remove herself from the room to calm down, or by ignoring her until she calms down. Something about today had me in a fantastic mood and I refused to let an 8-year old ruin it. So instead, I told her that all she had to do was ask me with a smile and she could go. Didn't work the first time, then I persisted and grinned at her until the entire class was doubled-over (they probably thought my face was stuck)...but eventually it worked!
Honestly, the laughter lightened the mood in the room and our lesson was so much more enjoyable after that....it made me wonder why we don't utilize the power of laughter and smiles more often. Maybe because it's so much easier to just yell at these hooligans when they start actin' a fool...but they respond so much better to humor and I think some of the most important lessons can be taught just as easily using smiles. Could be that I'm not yet jaded by the world of education, but I think teachers should be able to get silly with their students if they want to really connect with them. What do you think?
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