Category: Teaching Ideas

As a teacher moves from a general concept to specific details, it’s always helpful to make use of famous examples. Imagine a Halloween class about vampires. Don’t you think the Twilight series will enliven the atmosphere? If you’re a music teacher, you can talk about the changes in the music scene from Wolfgang Mozart to Elton John to Justin Bieber. If you’re a supply-and-demand teacher, you can bring up famous economists and their outstanding contributions once in a while.

The importance of covering famous people, events and things during classes can be summarized into three aspects.

Inspiration

Teachers can ignite inspiration in the class if they discuss the lives of famous people. The leadership of Martin Luther King can still be taken as an effective example of resolving issues on cultural indifference and violations of human rights. Talking about Steve Jobs and Bill Gates can inspire technology-intelligent kids to develop their computer and Internet interest and skills. Socrates’ way of questioning will remind students that curiosity will lead them to the path of wisdom and knowledge.

Appreciation of History

A chemistry teacher who jumps into discussion of the periodic table without explaining how it was derived is missing a lot. The students, especially those who detest science, won’t cherish the remarkable discovery at all. Narrating how Dimitri Mendeleev developed it would enable them to appreciate its importance in our daily lives. They may not stop grumbling when they try to memorize which elements are considered noble gases, metallic and non-metallic, etc. but at least they would understand its usefulness and they would realize that perhaps no other genius can arrange the elements as orderly as how famous chemists did.

Easier Explanation

When you coach a child to act as a villain for a school play and you find it hard to explain the kind of rage you’d love the scene to have, don’t you think a short description of Joker in Batman would help? When you teach basketball techniques, grabbing a picture of Michael Jordan and explaining how well he can manage the ball during crunch time will let kids visualize a difficult scenario in the court. If you want toddlers to remember the values of friendliness and positivism, show them a video of that eight year old adventurous Latina who always carry a purple backpack. They will certainly remember that helpfulness is all about famous Dora and friends.

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We all grew up with the notion that action speaks louder than words. Many people forget that famous revolutionaries in the past and leaders of today got their inspiration from spoken or written words. It is not a surprise that at present, we hang on to their every word and those that hit our nerves become the finest quotes we ourselves repeat over time. They serve as reminders of the things that we can accomplish, of our dreams to accomplish and of beautiful ideas to remember.

This is why most educators find it helpful to surround their students with quotes on education and quotes on success in the classroom. How do you choose which quotes to post? First, it all depends on what you are trying to communicate to your students. Do you want them to be more honest or accountable with their actions? Then choose quotes that talk about virtue of telling the truth. Do you want them to read more books? Quote your favorite authors or take quotations from famous literature. It also depends on the kind of subject you teach in the classroom. If you are a Science teacher, it would be good to motivate your students with sayings from Einstein or Marie Curie. Nobel Peace Prize laureates are also a good source of quotations for modern day acts of greatness.

Their written word endures for generations to come. The quotes transcend time and can be applied in all of life’s circumstances. What keeps us reading quotes is the wisdom we get and there is more where they came from. However, we must remember that quotes need not come from famous people. As teachers or educators, your students hang on to your every word and they quote you on a daily basis. There is nothing more motivating than learning and as each spoken word becomes notes, they also turn into knowledge that you will live with for a lifetime.

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Do you know the story behind the spook and thrill October 31 brings? You may be aware that Halloween is an annual tradition everyone celebrates through costume parties, fun games, trick-or-treating, entering haunted houses and sharing scary stories but you may be surprised that it’s actually religion, paganism and superstitions rolled into one event.

The Origin

It originated from the Celtic culture of Ireland, Britain and Northern Europe more than 2000 years ago. The Celts used to have a festival called Samhain, a celebration of harvest before their new year begins on November 1. Since the date also marked the beginning of the winter’s cold weather and longer nights, it was associated with death. On October 31, they believed the deceased would come back to earth to damage their harvested crops, inflict sickness and play evil tricks to people. Because of this daunting superstition, they would wear scary costumes, put on masks and make sacred bonfires to drive away the spirits. Some also left out treats to appease them.

During the conquest of the Roman empire over Europe, the Catholic church combined two of their holidays with this tradition to Christianize the Celts. The missionaries already considered them as pagans who needed spiritual guidance. November 1 and 2 were declared as All Saints Day and All Souls Day, respectively. The night before November 1 was called All Hallows Eve but eventually, it was shortened to Halloween. Since some Celts continued to firmly practice their customs on this day, it may be the reason why it has been transmitted from the ancient to the present generation.

Trick or Treat

Aside from the historical information stated above, this can be traced to a Mid-European practice called souling. On All Saints Day, early Christian beggars would ask for a piece of cake from the villagers. In exchange, they would pray for the dead relatives of the donors the following day. At that time, it was believed that prayers can facilitate a soul’s entry to heaven.

Through media, trick-or-treating has spread around the globe. Currently, children wear awesome costumes and collect treats in their neighborhood on Halloween. However, there are still countries who don’t practice it like the way Europeans and Americans do. For example, in the Philippines, Filipinos prefer to visit the graves of their dead loved ones. In Japan, some make use of Halloween decors but they pay homage to the souls in August during Obon.

Pumpkins, Turnips and Jack-o-Lanterns

The famous Jack-o-Lantern is an Irish folklore about a drunkard, selfish man named Jack. When he passed away, he wasn’t admitted to heaven because of his misdeeds. He wasn’t welcomed in hell either because he once tricked Satan. So he hollowed a turnip, placed an ember in it and returned to earth without knowing where to go. It is supposed that until this time, he’s still roaming around with his lantern.

Carving of turnips was originally done in Scotland and Ireland. However, North Americans preferred to use pumpkin since they’re larger than turnips and readily available. It is said that pumpkin carving is still practiced to remember the souls in purgatory.

Apple Bobbing

This most popular Halloween game consists of a large basin of water with floating apples on it. The first person who can bite it with his teeth without using the hands is assumed as the next one to marry. In some cases, the organizers hang the apples on the string.

When the Romans dominated the Celtic area, they introduced apple as the symbol of Ponoma, the goddess of beauty and fertility. Remembering her in October too is most likely the reason why parties have apple games on Halloween.