Using Humor—Sparingly—in the Classroom

A few weeks ago, I was chatting with an 11th-grade student who was feeling pretty down. “Today is my birthday,” he told me, “and my teacher was really mean about it.”

“What happened?” I asked.

“I told her that it was my birthday,” he explained, “and she asked how it felt to be 12 years old.”

Ouch. As I tried to reassure him that she probably meant to be funny (unsuccessfully, clearly) and that his hurt feelings were legitimate, he shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I don’t think she likes me, and now I don’t care.”

Not all teachers are comfortable using humor in their classrooms, but those who enjoy joking around should proceed with caution. Though the use of humor in the classroom can be an effective strategy when leveraged correctly, teaching is not an exercise in stand-up comedy. Attempts at being funny can unintentionally wind up doing more harm than good when the type of humor that teachers use is received far differently than intended. We rarely know that students have been hurt or offended when humor misses the mark, but relationships can be damaged nonetheless.

By differentiating helpful uses of humor from more unproductive approaches, we can explore alternative methods for developing stronger relationships with students while also repairing connections that may have already been compromised.

Productive humor in functional classroom communities

Learning might not always be a laugh. Still, there should be no shortage of joy in the classroom. Humor isn’t the only way to lighten things up, but research indicates it can have favorable results by increasing students’ positive associations with a learning space or by boosting motivation. 

The advice “Don’t smile until Christmas” is obviously outdated. By using gentle forms of humor, teachers can make course content more accessible and build a strong sense of classroom community. For example, cheesy humor usually lacks a sharp edge and will (at worst) make kids groan. I had a geometry teacher who used to joke that if we were cold, we should go to the corner of the room because it was always 90 degrees there. Sure, it was cringeworthy, but it made me smile, and it also bonded me with my classmates as we all rolled our eyes.

Avoid unproductive humor at all costs 

Many years ago, a student of mine gathered the courage to tell me that I was upsetting her. I was shocked and horrified and asked her to explain. As it turned out, my deadpan sense of humor was being perceived as straight-up snark. At that stage of my career, for example, if a student told me about a minor annoyance like a broken pencil, I might have gone purposely expressionless and said something like “Tragedy.” I was trying to be funny, but it clearly wasn’t working so well. From that moment on, I curbed my teaching style to exclude the kind of ironic wit that could be easily misconstrued.  

In general, sarcasm has no place in the classroom. Students often interpret this type of humor as meanness, and that is especially true for students who are emerging multilingual learners. American cultural humor is unfamiliar, and kids can often take ironic statements at face value.

In addition, centering any humor on the people in the room is never a good idea. Suppose a teacher asks a question and nobody volunteers a response, prompting the teacher to say, “Wow, you all are an enthusiastic bunch.” Perhaps this comment seems relatively mild, but it probably doesn’t inspire anyone to suddenly feel safe enough to raise their hand. Furthermore, students may grow quietly resentful if they perceive that the teacher does not believe that anyone in the room has the capacity to say something valuable. Instead, the teacher could try being more sincere by either asking if more clarification on the question is needed or reiterating that all ideas matter. 

better approaches to building community

While levity holds an important place in some classrooms, it can also act as a defensive shield that crops up when we get frustrated with student behavior. Therefore, developing productive habits that build more meaningful relationships is a crucial component to avoiding the pitfalls of unproductive humor and to fostering a sense of shared responsibility for learning. 

The best way to increase students’ sense of investment in any classroom is to ensure their psychological safety. My most recent book suggests several steps to move in that direction, such as the elimination of cold calling so that students never feel as though they are put on the spot for a “gotcha.” Giving them low-risk opportunities to participate (such as letting them debrief ideas with a classmate before being called on) makes it more likely that they will be more cooperative and that their behavior will not interfere with achievement, thereby lessening the chances of anyone (teacher included) lashing out with defensive humor. Then, when everyone more fully understands what is being taught, we can focus any opportunities for gentle humor through the lens of course content.

Work to repair damaged relationships 

It’s hard to know when a joke has landed wrong. Usually, students whose feelings have been hurt do not explicitly let teachers know; instead, the signs are more subtle. For example, kids may become quiet or withdrawn, or they might even let their grades decline. If we see any signs of a damaged relationship, we must follow up with students privately to make sure they know we care about them. Being explicit about that caring is key, as many students feel (however mistakenly) that their teachers don’t like them. 

It helps to make a habit of offering key statements that affirm positive intentions toward students. Being explicit that “your success is important to me” or that “you have so many valuable contributions to make to this class” is particularly encouraging to students who feel that, for whatever the reason, the teacher does not appreciate them or their work. 

Another valuable strategy is to make a point of offering at least one positive and specific comment about anything students produce, particularly when they’re a little off the mark. Suppose a student accidentally calculates a geometry angle at 180 degrees instead of 90. Rather than just sharing that the answer is wrong, the teacher can praise the thinking that got them there, even when the result was flawed. If we maintain focus on praising mistakes as a pathway to learning, we will be less inclined to make a joke or do anything else that invalidates what just occurred.

When the teen who was having a tough birthday confided in me about his teacher’s poorly conceived attempt at a joke, I felt guilty for all the times I might have offended a student without knowing, and without any intention of doing so. It was impossible for me to know what this particular teacher intended when she caused offense, but either way, the damage was done. However, it is important to know that with more awareness around appropriate uses of humor, it is still possible to lighten the atmosphere by embracing the joy of teaching and learning without offending anyone.