Humor and Laughter Article Review
After reading the articles Fun and the Immune System and Lighten Up please reflect on your thoughts and feelings. (They were emailed to you as an attachment)
The following questions were created to be thought provoking:
( you do not have to answer them all but they may aid you in your responses/reflections)
1) What were some of the AHA's that you encountered? (if any)
2) How can you utilize this information in your own personal life?
3) How can this information make you a more effective teacher/counselor/parent?
**Click on comments to read and leave your personal ideas**
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
I am a big Oprah fan and once heard her say that mom's need to put themselves on the "LIST" of taking care of themselves. For a long time I have struggled with that very thing when it comes to my weight. I have gone up and down some...until this past year when I finally got it...and have put myself on the list. I have lost a significant amount of weight and kept it off through daily exercise and feel good about myself. Now I read this article and think about how heart disease is a problem in my family and maybe I need to add Comedy Central to my bedtime routine!! Woudn't hurt. At 42, I am worth putting this on my list.
I have always felt humor is important. I use it a lot in my classroom. It is my way of relating to middle school students. It has been an effective way of reaching them. And believe me, they are good for a huge belly laugh at least once a week just from their comments. You can't take them too seriously or you mihgt as well get out of teaching.
As a parent, that is what memories are made of. My parents were of the old school and very serious...so humor does not come easily at times, but I don't take myself very seriously all the time with my kids. They are way too much fun. It is my goal to embarass them and make lots of memories with them because life could be way too short...we just never know. I want them to remember more smiles than frowns. There is enough pressure of being an adult that has to pay the bills!
To begin with, I started reading the articles looking for some study named AHA, or some acronym called AHA. After reading both of the articles and thinking about how they related to me, I was puzzled that they didn't mention the AHA study. It took me awhile to figure out that the AHA was probably the "ah-hah...that reminds me of something". So, I guess the humor has already started in this class. These articles were interesting to me, as my dad had a major heart attack in March and a sextuple emergency by-pass surgery. He is recovering quite well, but it sure was a shocker. He has always eaten well and exercised everyday of his life. We are told that it is definitely a heredity thing, which scares us all because my siblings and I eat well and exercise regularly as well. But, to get to the humor point, my dad is the funniest guy I know and turns any situation into a funny one. As the doctor was pulling out the major tubes out of his chest on the day he was released from the hospital, my dad asked the REALLY IMPORTANT cardiologist if he would be able to play the piano after the heart attack. The doctor assured him that yes, he would be able to play the piano after the heart attack. My dad said that he was really pleased to hear that since he never played the piano before the heart attack. So, humor makes us all happy, feel good, and brightens up our days, but some things are hereditary. I try to use humor in my 8th grade classes and it seems as if most of the students appreciate it. To me, it makes me seem more human and not like the Great Oz.
With costs so high for medical insurance and doctors' appointments; AND with years and years of talking about 'preventive medicine' you'd think that laughter would be an integral part of any prescription by now!
As a teacher of 13 and 14 year olds, I also have to use humor in my classroom on a daily basis or perish. Sometimes I think that those of us who teach at the 7th and 8th grade level must have been severely scarred in 'junior high' and that is why we want to change and lighten up what kids experience at that age.
I wonder if and how Dr. MIller's further studies (after 2001) enhanced his findings...
lisbeth - enjoyed and smiled at your AHA statement.
I found these two articles very interesting and very much needed in our lives today. Being a parent of a 2 year old and a teacher of teenagers, I see the missing laughter. A toddler has this innocence; this truth. They are constantly laughing and smiling . A teenager starts to lose that. They take more to heart and wear their emotions on their shoulders. To them, a breakup or wearing the wrong outfit is devestating. As a teacher, if I can remember to bring some humor and laughter into their day, maybe those incidents won't seem so devestating. Maybe they'll learn how to cope differently.
I enjoyed reading about laughter being the best medicine and improving heart disease. As a physical education and health teacher, I am constantly trying to promote a healthy lifestyle for my students. Having them get outside to play and be active is my main goal. Incorporating the love of laughter and trying new things is always a constant message to them.
Now that I am older (man, never thought that I would say that), I think about what my dad always told me when I was down on myself... to "just look in the mirror and smile". I try to bring that motto to the table every day as a parent and teacher. Days can get tough and life throws us many obstacles..but once we start smiling and laughing...things seem to feel better.
**PS-Hi Mary J...didn't know you were in this class either!!***
I guess I'm not surprised that laughter benefits the immune system - but it's really nice to see some scientific studies supporting the idea. One statement that struck me was "We all intuitively know that having fun is a good thing, but we feel guilty or irresponsible if we have too much of it." This is so true for me in my daily life! I feel like it's a luxury to do somthing for myself that will be fun.
Luckily I've been quite healthy overall, but I often feel very fatigued. I'd like to try to make more of a consious effort to include humor in my daily life and see if that boosts my energy. The same goes for kids in the classroom. Telling some jokes or riddles or doing a silly activity at the time of day when children seem a little sluggish might be the way to get them back on track!
Post a Comment