Yes, teaching can be fun, but it seems like everyone is aware of the daily pressures that teachers all over the country face.
Classroom
Teaching Can Be Fun!
Yes, teaching can be fun, but it seems like everyone is aware of the daily pressures that teachers all over the country face.
And obviously, this is pretty accurate most of the time, but people regularly forget one thing; teaching can (and should) be fun!
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Teaching can be fun!
It’s because largely they are overworked and underpaid, exhausted from teaching kids during the day and late-night marking once you get home, not to mention simply carving out precious time to have a life outside of teaching!
No two days, or students, are the same
When walking into a classroom, teachers will not know what kind of day they are about to have. From kindergarten to high school students, no day or student will ever be the same as one another.
Each class will have a different feel, and lessons will be vastly different depending on the student’s questions and interactions with their teacher on any given day. Not knowing how the day will pan out can be daunting, but this keeps the job feeling fresh. Here are some key reasons teaching is so fun:
- Equally important and highly rewarding is getting to know each student: seeing how each one has progressed and what they have learned from your lessons.
- Understanding how different kids interpret your lessons can help teachers implement more fun activities and discussions that complement a teacher’s style.
- There is nothing more gratifying than to watch these young people find and nurture these talents.
- Many times you will see that “eureka” moment happen in front of your eyes when a student finally understands the point you are trying to teach them, which is a priceless feeling.
- Students can also be incredibly funny, insanely smart, and multi-talented in the arts, sports, or science.
- Never underestimate how much the students can also teach the teachers!
Teachers learn every day too
While no two days are the same, teaching practices can become dull if not switched up enough. There are, of course, necessary teaching skills and standards that must be adhered to and maintained. Still, other teaching methods can be implemented so that students do not become bored or complacent in class, as well as several ways to make lessons interesting. However, it is just as important to learn how different students and groups respond to these teaching methods to ensure everyone benefits from the lessons.
Teachers must learn what methods the students find engaging and respond best to, ensuring they are always willing to learn how to impart knowledge to their students in a way that they will accept and react the most positively to. This is not an easy task by a long shot, but once you crack the code, the potential to have fun and enjoy the lessons along with the students rises significantly.
Students don’t respond better to “fun teachers” but to teachers who HAVE fun
There are always teachers who are described as “fun teachers,” and many times, that is because of the way they interact with their students; they are more lenient on students’ behavior and conduct in class, they may assign less homework, or they are generally seen as not taking their job too seriously. These “fun teachers” rarely get students to interact appropriately in class, and this may well be why your kids are not adequately learning about those subjects. Here are some tips:
- By flipping the script and being the teacher that HAS fun in class, the kids respond much more positively.
- Teachers with a genuine passion for their chosen subject or who find ways to show enthusiasm for a topic tend to see their kids respond to this passion rather than become intimidated by it.
- Geeking out on a particular topic, for instance, a favorite poem in an anthology the students are studying from, can allow students to have a genuine question-and-answer session that not only allows the teacher to share information about themselves outside of teaching but to impart some vital knowledge about the topic in a truly organic way.
So while teaching can be draining, remember that it can be, and most importantly, fun for teachers and kids.
