Wednesday, May 7, 2014

The Importance of Channeling Humor in the Greatest Times of Stress = Teaching Success

Over the weekend, while purchasing over a hundred perennial bulbs to give out during a Student Teaching Celebration, I found a Seahorse hat and alien glasses. I'm unsure why these caught my attention, but I bought them to put a smile on my face.

I've written that teaching can sometimes be like emptying the ocean with a fork (and thank Richard Stein for teaching me about the madness of emptying it with a spoon) and right now in my life, the insanity of the end-of-the-semester is rather all-encompassing.

I did a marathon day of meeting with students yesterday and at one point a friend texted me to check in and I sent her a photo of how ridiculous this time of year is. I had to put on my toys, which made me laugh and served as a reminder that I still have a sense of humor about the profession and can still channel my inner child in extreme circumstances.

The cool think about the seahorse hat is that it lights up (animation not seen here).

A little nonsense now and then / relished by the wisest men ~ Arthur O'Shaughnessy, 1873

As my 12 hour day began turned over to 13, 14, then 15 hours, this short burst of silliness reenergized me. I reminded myself to laugh, because laughter is still in my control next to the grading, revisions, meetings, planning, reviewing, professional development, and conferencing that still needs to get accomplished. The writing? Well, I'm doing what I can to the best of my abilities.

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