Using affectionate humor, Fournier delivers both stark and subtle epiphanies alongside enduring truths, offering a deeper social commentary on the present conditions and future directions of American education.
Eddie Brown found himself in a spot most teachers know all too well: Some days he loved his job, and other days he hated it. Teaching gave him money to take care of his family and a sense of fulfillment. But the culture, the work, the bureaucracy, and the stress wore him out. He walked a thin line between inspiration and despair. Each new school year, he’d give his relationship with academia another try, rolling the dice and praying to avoid a breakup. Things improved when he started coping with his struggles by engaging with them through comedy, joining the Teachers Only Comedy Tour. He went from performing on local stages in Houston in front of a few dozen people to telling jokes in major arenas and theaters across the country. From Charlotte to New York City, Dallas to Biloxi, Baton Rouge to Seattle, Montgomery to Denver, and countless other cities across America, tens of thousands of supportive fans have welcomed him with open arms, loud cheers, and contagious laughter. Join the author as he shares the struggles of what it means to be a teacher and celebrates the significance of mentoring, educating, and encouraging students.
Explains why our brains think something is funny, what happens to us physically when we laugh, why you can tickle your friend but not yourself, and much more.
Arguing against the tougher standards rhetoric that marks the current education debate, the author of No Contest and Punished by Rewards writes that such tactics squeeze the pleasure out of learning. Reprint.
The author presents a collection of ways to reap the proven human and corporate benefits of humor at work, organized by core business skill and founded on his own work as a business speaker and coach with the consulting company, Humor That Works.
With ready-to-use lessons and strategies, What’s So Funny?: Humor-Based Activities for Social Skill Development provides readers with tools to help their clients improve their emotional intelligence through humor. Occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, special educators, behavior therapists, and caregivers will benefit from the implementation of these strategies. What’s So Funny? contains a curriculum of more than 50 activities that emphasize two main ideas. The first is that humor (linguistic or physical) can be taught to many individuals with autism spectrum disorder or other disorders through explicit instruction, exposure to various types of humor, and embracing the individual’s preferred sense of humor. The second is that humorous activities can be used to increase social engagement, which can sometimes be a challenge for those with developmental disabilities. What’s So Funny? includes activities essential for individuals who: Appear to have a very limited concept or basic developmental level of humor Need to improve their understanding of socially appropriate humor Lack understanding of appropriate times to use humor Are nonverbal, have limited expressive communication skills, or use augmentative communication devices Have a difficult time initiating social interactions with their peers With a flexible program that can be used for either small groups or individuals from ages 7 years to adult, What’s So Funny?: Humor-Based Activities for Social Skill Development is a relevant and easy-to-use resource. Discussing a variety of types of humor on different developmental levels, from slapstick to word play, this program improves participants’ abilities to connect and engage with others through the powerful tool of humor.
The author, a computer science professor diagnosed with terminal cancer, explores his life, the lessons that he has learned, how he has worked to achieve his childhood dreams, and the effect of his diagnosis on him and his family.