He writes,
“By a sense of humor, I don't mean the ability to tell jokes or include humorous anecdotes in one's lessons. That's not a bad thing and makes for a more entertaining class (particularly if they're funny!). But I know some great joke tellers who are also pretty humorless. What I mean by a sense of humor is an ability to see absurdity in the class, school meetings and in oneself, and an ability to laugh at it.
“Schools and classrooms are rife with absurdity,” he continues. “Think about the crazily optimistic idea that a high school teacher can reach each of 100-plus students every day, despite the fact that each student is totally different. Elementary teachers continually function in a surreal Lewis Carroll-like scenario in which they're expected to be experts in four or five different subjects, as well as child psychologists, on a salary that is less than what most waitresses earn.”
To cope, he suggests teachers keep a caring, yet detached attitude that enables them to find humor in otherwise emotionally charged situations.
