Teacher Tales #16 – Teacher impact and the power of humor, stories and having fun in the classroom: Cheri – master storyteller, state supervisor and FUNny Spanish teacher
In this episode, Cheri lightens things up with stories and humor and human connections in the classroom. She shares how the impact of a teacher may not be felt or show up right away, but assures us that it is always there. It shows up in the stories we tell and the stories our students tell. Our impact can be positive or negative…our choice. Cheri always chose humor and light-heartedness to make those human connections to her students and to make everyone feel comfortable and at ease. She tells us that, even though she was a “rule-follower” in school, she managed to have fun and be FUNny with her students because she wanted to enjoy the classroom experience just as much as the students did. Cheri also tells us that through her experiences as a classroom teacher to a state supervisor, the greatest lesson she learned is that “good teaching is good teaching, no matter the subject or content”. We bring our PERSON-alities into the classroom to role model for our students and to serve as a mirror that reflects all that is good: being positive, humorous, encouraging, supportive, caring, collaborative, compassionate and light-hearted. How much and to what are kids paying attention? What will our students remember about their experiences in our classroom? Every interaction has an impact. Join Cheri and me as we “lighten up”, have fun and maintain our sense of humor through some very “serious” educational topics.