As educators and parents, we have a task that goes far beyond the filling of pitchers to the brim with facts and information. We have a responsibility to try to prepare our children to face society as well-rounded, well-informed, open-minded, cultured, empathic citizens. By doing this, we can create a happier, better world to live, love and laugh in. To acquire these qualities and create happiness, it is helpful for children to be able to develop a sense of humour to carry through life.
Being able to laugh together helps people develop bonds, improves health, lightens stress, and can make people more successful and creative. For our well-being day in the Middle School, we discussed these benefits, and demonstrated comedy at work. We began with a hilariously stressful meditation and relaxation session with Year 8 which, rather than relaxing, had them stifling giggles.
After explaining that the focus of the lesson was not in fact meditation, but rather the use of humour to create a relaxed atmosphere, we reflected on how giggling made us feel. We then watched a TEDx presentation on the subject, which can be seen below.
After that, we discussed how humour is used in our lessons to make learning fun, memorable and engaging. It is not a new concept in education. Plato, founder of the Academy, the first institution of higher learning in the western world, said, “Even the gods love jokes” and Samuel Johnson, English playwright and lexicographer said, “The size of a man’s understanding can be justly measured by his mirth.”
Rather than being a thing of frivolity, we considered how laughter and a sense of humour are an intellectual and spiritual strength to be nurtured and valued, and how being able to understand and make jokes is one of the best indicators of a true command of a language, and understanding of life.
It is nice to think that the laughs we hear in our lessons are merely echoes of great people who have gone before, who were wise enough to know that laughter and wisdom are connected, and a key to our own well-being, and that of those around us.