This is obviously my favorite chapter of the book….not because I am the eternal prankster and love to have fun, but what Ron Clark says is so incredibly true. He writes: “When dealing with kids, it’s a good idea to attempt to see things from their vantage point and find humor and understanding from their mistakes and embarrassing moments. It’s all about putting things in perspective and realizing that minor frustrations and annoyances that can come from children aren’t worth getting worked up over and making a mountain out of a molehill” (p. 167). How many times have we heard that molehill analogy? Well, I sure have….the whole time I was growing up, my parents would tell me this. As annoyed as I would get with my parents, I know that they were teaching me to not be so uptight about things - to help me “see the humor in mistakes and difficult situations” (p. 169). When I was teaching I also tried to impart this lesson to my students; I wanted them to have fun in my class while they learned. Oftentimes, I would sprinkle lots of personal stories and lessons in my teachings so that I could grasp their attention and use these personal messages as a springboard for my academic content. Then, we would go on to discuss great works of literature, like Macbeth or The Heart of Darkness - not too humorous to discuss - but we would find the irony in the works and characters. With my own children, I live by this chapter’s message, too. Having a 10-year-old and a 4-year-old will help keep things in perspective for us. What is important to me at the time may not be the most important thing to my sons. So, I have to keep my vantage point on their level and focus on what is important in their lives. By doing this, we share a common bond and laugh a lot in our house. Ron reminded me, “When dealing with them, we need to be reminded of what we were like at their age, and how strong the emotions can be, and how the view of the world is completely different….” (p. 172). Now that is a powerful realization for most parents and for some teachers, too.
One of the great things about our school is that humor abounds everywhere. We are all quick to laugh - sometimes at each other….we laugh with the children and teach them to find humor in difficult situations. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel. Sometimes, we just can’t see it yet. But, it takes teamwork to find that silver lining, and that is the power of our grade level teams and the leadership of our team leaders. I look forward to having more fun this upcoming school year. I wonder what kind of pie I will get pied with this year? May I recommend peach filling, Mrs. Thrall?
On to Chapter 9…Common Sense….We are almost finished with our book study and blogging. How do you plan to incorporate this book in your class? How will you keep this momentum going?
