Lori, I totally agree. We have enough stress in our lives and humor is a great way to relax the class room. Just make sure its in good taste. While someone is laughing they can't feel sad,scared,or angry.
Mr. Barker, Humor is a critical part of the education process, not for "edutainment" but to create state changes and raise spirits. Humor can be used to quickly build relationships between student and teacher as well. It is a double-edged sword, though. Care must be taken when reading class culture, and the PG-13 line should not be crossed. Blatant vulgarity and insult humor should be avoided, as there are too many hot buttons in people's characters. Humor is useful during anecdotes, and will help information stick. Take care, though.
