While I was teaching Dutch and my student was talking about her week, she said she went shopping for food. In Dutch, that’s ‘boodschappen doen’. However, she had to buy lots of things, so she added: ‘ik heb grote boodschappen gedaan’. Which means literally ‘I have done a big shopping.’ I started laughing.
Why? Literally, it was a good guess – it was a good student. But figuratively, it means going to the ‘big’ bathroom in Dutch… So I taught her the expression and we both laughed.
Humor is one of the reasons students forget they’re in a classroom. Which is why as a student, I also use it when I’m following classes. It’s so much more fun!
Even as a teacher, it’s important to laugh during classes. It makes it so much more fun! You’ll look forward to your next class, time will fly and you’ll enjoy your lessons.
How to laugh more in class
There are some jokes that always work. For example, if the teacher is asking for a volunteer, just say the name of another student. Or when your teachers asks you a difficult question, say ‘too difficult. Next question please.’
Another riskier one, is to give the wrong answer to a question that’s too simple. Make sure to smile at your teacher when he/she looks at you. Or when the teacher gives you the solution to a question, and you reply ‘correct!’
Humor outside of class
Don’t limit yourself to your lessons. When a native speaker gives you a compliment about your language skills, reply their skills are also good. Laughter guaranteed!
A trickier one is to tell something very rude, and say someone taught you it was something very nice to say… Beware to choose the right context for this…
And one last trick: don’t overdo it. Lessons are meant to be nice, but don’t think everyone should laugh all the time, it’s a language lesson, not a comedy lesson.
