If you haven’t already, lose your Cool Jacket
“There is something exciting about being in an environment in which it’s really cool to be smart.” – Freeman Hrabowski
My high school basketball coach used to refer to athletes with egos as having “cool jackets”, meaning they walked around wearing arrogance that was so obvious, it was like an article of clothing you could see on them. He encouraged his players to lose their cool jackets on and off the court, and I have found this directly applicable to the classroom as well. Whichever grade or subject you teach, kids benefit from connecting with their teachers. If you have a glaring haughtiness, your students are likely to pick up on it and will have a difficult time connecting with you. Let your students into your world, assuring them that you aren’t too good for them. Show them your humility as well as your humanity.
One of the easiest ways to lose your cool jacket is to do something intentionally silly in front of your students. It not only entertains them, draws them in, and opens them up to learning, but it also humanizes you. I know teachers who sing to their students. Some performed cover songs for a mental break, some did lyric analysis lessons, and others did goofy, rhyming, pneumonic device ballads. I even knew a no-musical-talent P.E. teacher who still sang to his students; they loved it anyway. I have known teachers to annually dress up as Abe Lincoln, Dr. Seuss, or Albert Einstein, staying in character with accent the entire day.
I personally remember running up and down the aisles, screaming and high-fiving my students as we watched a clip of the 1982 Lake Placid Winter Olympics. The U.S. Hockey team beat the heavily-favored Soviet team in what was dubbed the “Miracle on Ice”. I regarded hockey with a hardly benign interest, and of course I already knew what was going to happen. My ridiculousness puzzled them however, and captivated their attention as they latched on for the rest of the lesson.
A teacher’s excitement is contagious; embrace that truth and take full advantage. Take the vulnerable step to do something outside your comfort zone, something that may be silly. If you are still wearing one, take off your cool jacket for the sake of your student connections and for the sake of their learning.
Here's a guide for the film Miracle and other Cold War resources...
And here's a few fun ice-breaker games for the first days of school...
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