I’ve made a conscious effort this year to make my teaching more fun, both for me and for my students. The reasons seem obvious (and yet I’ve listed them below), but it’s the consequences I hadn’t thought about when I made the choice.

Here’s the short list of why I’ve been choosing fun:
• to combat the depressing headlines
• to combat people’s preoccupation with GLCEs, MEAP, SAT, ACT/MME, SQRL CHYSZ, and other wacky acronyms
• to help students enjoy school instead of fear/hate it
• to help me enjoy more aspects of my job
• to improve the general mood of the school
• to increase students’ willingness to do what I ask

You’re probably wondering what sorts of fun things I’m talking about. Here’s a list of ‘things-fun’ I’ve added this year:
• I started a Chess Club after school; we meet every other Thursday and on the opposite Thursdays I’ve given some beginning juggling lessons.
• We have a class wiki and each student has his or her own page. Generally, students put their final drafts on their page, include photos and links relevant to what we’re studying, and are able to comment on each others’ pages. Students, however, can also add a few applications to personalize their page; a couple games, YouTube videos, and things like a ‘fish’ to feed have increased the fun factor.
• I love music, so I’m playing it more in my classroom. I play my favorite jazz, rock, blues, and folk music before school, during my planning hour, and as students come into class. I’ve had album covers decorating my walls for years, but I’m trying to share more of the actual music with my students. There’s also the fact that when I listen to music I can’t help but sing and dance, which students aren’t always sure I should be sharing.
• From time to time, we use the last 10-15 minutes of a class period to play a game together. We usually play an online game like Jeopardy, Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?, Word games on the GameshowNetwork, and Traveler IQ Challenge, but we’ve also played Name a Country (each player names a country, you can’t name the same country twice, and when you can’t name one, you’re out).
• I’m walking to work more often, which puts me in a better mood all day.

My efforts are paying off. Students tell me they enjoy the music (usually), look forward to playing the games (especially when Jolly Ranchers are involved), love to spend time on our wiki, and relish the challenges of chess. It really is fun seeing them get something out of school that they weren’t expecting — a laugh, a bit of trivia, a feeling of success, a talent, a place to feel connected, a new appreciation for a song or artist.

“At what cost?” you may ask. The biggest downside is that a few students equate more fun with less work. They think English class is all fun and games if we do some fun and games. It’s that all-or-nothing thinking sneaking in. “Mr. Kabodian’s class is more casual at times, so I’ll act casual all the time.” And as long as it isn’t infectious — doesn’t spread to the whole class — I can take a bit of that reaction. Enough students are buying in, staying focused, and producing more to continue this radical fun philosophy for a long time. You can’t please all of the people all of the time and, frankly, I never planned to do that; Mr. Kabodian is pleased and that sets the tone for the room.