Finding the “Funny Bone” in the Class Skeleton

Finding the “Funny Bone” in the Class Skeleton

Kyle Seiverd
Copyright: © 2019 |Pages: 7
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-5879-8.ch005
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Abstract

Some teachers have the natural ability to captivate their students, while others struggle to maintain classroom control. Utilizing comedy as a tool to deliver and maintain an audience's attention is something that comics and GATEs have in common. Some teachers use videos, memes, or one-liners to their class laugh. For the author, a career in comedy began with family joke telling. It was when a high school student enrolled in standup comedy class that he unlocked his comedic talents and better prepared himself to become a teacher. The highs and lows of joke writing, stress of a performance, and its connection to teaching are described in detail.
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Humor Me

My experience with stand-up comedy began in my early-teens. I started sixth grade in a new school district. My previous school was small, with a single fifth grade class, everyone knowing each other; it was much like one big family with all the usual bickering and joyous moments. My new school was the opposite. Every class period consisted of different students, each having his or her group of friends that had their own style, mannerisms, and uniqueness. This new arena was foreign to me and I struggled to make a niche for myself. Never before did the idea cross my mind that my classmates would not associate with others. I had to adapt or be an outcast.

Key Terms in this Chapter

Joke: A humorous statement.

GATE: Gifted and talented educator.

Funny: Eliciting laughter.

Punch Line: Part of a joke that most often consists of a pun.

Classroom: Area where learning occurs.

Standup: Comedy style where usually one comic performs a monologue in front of an audience.

Comedy: Entertainment genre with the focus of audience laughter.

Comic: Individual performing an act with the intention of eliciting laughter from an audience.

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