My weirdest teacher pet peeve, or at least the one my students thought was strange, is that I hate large groups singing “Happy Birthday.”
And, yes, it’s true that I’m a bit of a Scrooge about a lot of holidays, but it has nothing to do with my feelings about birthdays.
It has everything to do with the singing.
Why do they sing happy birthday like it’s the saddest song ever? They start out soooooo sloooooow. It’s like the sloth from Zootopia singing. It’s a dirge, a funeral march. Isn’t this supposed to be a happy thing?
Now, you might be wondering, what does this have to do with teaching? Why are you just complaining about kids doing something happy?
Well, really this is about creating the classroom atmosphere and culture.
See, as a high school teacher, I was in that space all day long while the kids came and went every 45 minutes or so. I wanted it to be a comfortable place for me — which would in turn make it a more comfortable place for my students.
Creating a positive classroom environment means paying attention to details, even if it’s as seemingly trivial as the speed of a birthday song.
Need some ideas for creating a positive classroom culture?
- Learn and use your students’ names as quickly as possible. This may sound obvious, but wouldn’t you hate for them to think that you don’t even know who’s who?
- Learn some small things about them. Let them see that you’re interested in them beyond the numbers in the grade book.
- Give them some ownership in the classroom with things like my “You Make the Rules” back to school activity. Don’t be afraid to let students have a say in what’s acceptable and expected classroom behavior. They always come up with the things you’d want them to anyway, just in their own words.
What about maintaining a positive classroom culture throughout the year?
- Laugh with them. Show them your personality. Be a human.
- Leave them positive notes like the one below when they need it: before state testing or a big game, when there’s something going on in their personal lives, or just whenever you want to.
According to John Hattie’s Visible Learning research, basically the only thing inside of the classroom that negatively affects learning is students feeling like the teacher doesn’t like them. Don’t let your students think that.
Closing Thoughts
Together, we can banish the mournful birthday dirges and replace them with upbeat celebrations worthy of the occasion. After all, every birthday deserves a little joy and a lot less funeral march.
Now I want to hear from you. What’s your weirdest teacher pet peeve? Do you cringe at the sight of mismatched socks or shudder at the sound of chalk squeaking on the chalkboard (truly, the worst sound in the world)? Share your stories in the comments below!
KatieMacTeach 