So a few of my colleagues started off the year showing this clip from The Office and have made "would an idiot do that..?" part of their classroom mantra/culture etc. Though I think it is quite funny, I LOVE the Office, I waver back and forth whether it is a bad idea to do this with 7th graders. Any thoughts? Do you think they are going to go home and tell their parents that we called them an idiot? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVVsDIv98TA
Yeah, when they showed me their plans, I laughed, and part of me really wanted to do it with my kids...but something is telling me not to. I don't know if I'm being appropriately cautious or uptight!
I don't know your school culture. While I wouldn't choose to show it, I'm not sure that there's anything objectionable. But you do know your school culture. And any time you have to ask "Is this crossing a line??" the odds are probably decent that the answer is yes. It's just like the question "Should I go to the ER?" If you have to ask, you probably already know. Besides, don't show the video and what's the worst that could happen?? Nothing. Show it, and what's the worst that can happen?
Given the poster isn't in our state....plus that wouldn't be enough to garner an ineffective rating in most schools.
I love it! They're seventh graders so I am sure they think it's funny and, to the point, they "get it". Of course, I'm fairly obsessed with The Office, so...
Oh so by all means, the OP should feel free to act as if tenure will protect him from unprofessional choices...:thumb: go for it. Oh, and by the way, the OP IS in Nevada: http://www.studentsfirst.org/pages/nevadas-plan-for-education-reform
It might have been more prudent to edit the video and change the word idiot to something less edgy-ish. I can think of a bunch of words that would work like: amateur, fledgling, novice, frivolous youth, rookie, etc. Of course, that could just make it look worse! I can see imaginations going a bit crazy figuring out the word that's missing. On a personal level, I love that clip.
I think it all depends on the grade level. When I was student teaching and I wanted to introduce the concept of Mark Twain and Satire to the kids before they started reading Huck Finn--I showed them this. http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-january-11-2011/mark-twain-controversy Naturally I was worried--I had the backing of not only my MT, but the Department chair and the kids responded well. It depends on the grade level and maturity level of the class. In the end do what you feel is right. <3
The reality is that you have the best of both worlds. The OTHER kids are going to be talking about it, and your kids are going to go to youtube and look it up. Yet you're not going to take any of the flack, should it not go over well.
I personally would not be OK with it. I can just see a child making a bad choice in class, and the other students (thinking their being helpful) saying, "Billy...don't be an idiot!". That type of comment would get most students a stern look from the teacher, maybe even a write-up, for bullying. Idiot just has such a negative connotation. And 7th graders are hard-wired to push boundaries and make bad choices. Just because they make some mistakes doesn't make them an idiot. Just my
I personally would show it. Like Just me said, it's funny, but it gets a point across. However, I think it takes a certain personality to use humor in the classroom. Some people just can't pull it off and there is nothing wrong with that. If you are feeling uncomfortable about showing it, you should probably pass. It just might not be your style.
I think it's funny and it does get the point. My concern wouldn't be the students. It would be the parents. How would they feel about that? What if the student went home really excited and told his parents, who did not share his excitement? I don't know. I worry about that stuff.
Also, I'm cringing at my grammar mistake in my original post. Apparently, my mind is a little wonky after writing lesson plans all day!
I absolutely love the office, but I don't know if I would use it. Most of my students would love it (from what I hear - they watch much more inappropriate things), but I am thinking of one student in particular whose mother declared to me very proudly about how they don't have a tv in their home. I would think a parent like that would not appreciate me bringing tv into the classroom.
I'm sorry, but I wouldn't even use it in my adult school classes, because someone, sometime will take offense to it. It is not worth the possible fallout, and definitely not worth a kid thinking to themselves sometimes that you think they are an idiot. We don't all have the same sense of humor and I agree totally with the above posters that kids may start to use it out of context against each other.
I think it's funny and that the teachers probably had good intentions...but I still would not use it, even if I taught older students. I think you'd just be asking for trouble. Even if the students are okay with it/don't misuse it, you know at least one parent would be bound to have a problem with it. Personally I wouldn't want to stress myself out worrying about if it was okay or someone was going to get upset about it, so I just wouldn't do it.
Thanks everyone. Great discussion of the pros and cons. I really appreciate it. I think I am going to follow my instincts and not show the video, but I will say it to myself under my breath every time a student does something really....um...interesting.
