What Kind of 'Peanuts' Teacher Are You? Written by Denise LaRosa

          Generations have grown up reading and/or watching the ‘Peanuts’ gang for nearly ten decades. Never before has there been a group of cartoon characters so appealing to the masses. In fact, their appeal spans across all ages, socioeconomic backgrounds, races, and ethnic groups. Males love them as much as females. You could walk up to anyone on the street and ask them, “Who is your favorite ‘Peanuts’ character?” and they can rapidly give you an answer.

            What is so magical about the ‘Peanuts’ crew? The answer is simple; everyone (and I mean everyone) can relate to at least one character. Essentially, we are the ‘Peanuts’ gang, and teachers are no exception! Educators bring their personalities into their classroom, for better or for worse. Our personalities set the tone for our classroom environment and can make or break our connections with certain students. At the end of the day, educators should intentionally balance their personality in a way that brings life to the classroom, yet does not adversely affect lesson delivery or teacher-student relationships. So take a journey with me and discover exactly which ‘Peanuts’ teacher you are…

Charlie Brown – Although he manages the world’s worst baseball team, he never gives up and shows up to every game. His creator, Charles Schultz explains best by stating, “Charlie Brown must be the one who suffers, because he’s a caricature of the average person. Most of us are much more acquainted with losing than winning. Winning is great, but it isn’t funny.” You are the teacher who walks through the door with a positive attitude (and little to no praise at all) despite the continuous challenges being ‘pitched’ at you from every direction. You keep going, keep teaching, and keep believing in your students, even if you are part of a “losing” team.

Snoopy – Some words that describe Snoopy are “wildly imaginative,” “supremely confident,” “aloof,” and “above the fray.”  You have the innate ability to stay cool under pressure. One way you succeed at this is by retreating and oftentimes fleeing to a fantasy world until the coast is clear and all is well in the real world. You are the teacher with a wild imagination and a colossal amount of creativity. You look like Joe Cool to all of the other teachers.  As a matter of fact, they are regularly saying, “I don’t know how you can possibly stay so cool, calm, and collected while your class goes crazy!”  Yet you survive by escaping to a world in your mind where you are anywhere, but in that classroom and you are anything but a teacher! Instead, you might be a World War I Flying Ace!

Lucy – “Crabby” and “bossy,” you are always more than willing to put your 10 cents in (Yes, I intentionally said 10 cents instead of 2 cents!). Lucy is the character that no teacher wants to admit they are, but truthfully, there is at least one Lucy in every school building. While you have a wealth of knowledge, your wisdom gets lost in your harsh approach. You appear hard core on the outside, however, you do have a soft spot. For Lucy, her soft spot is Schroeder. Yours may be anything from praise to coffee, and limitless possibilities in between.

Peppermint Patty – You are a “fearless born leader.” You embrace challenges, but hate studying. Yes, you read that right! You are not one of those “life-long learners.” Your teaching style comes from your gut, not the books. You absolutely love calling the shots in your classroom and consider it a sport.

Linus – You are the voice of reason that always provides a deep, philosophical insight to every situation. You wear your heart on your sleeve and therefore you are terribly hurt and disappointed whenever staff or students let you down.

Woodstock – You are the sidekick, never up front and center. This role fits you perfectly because you are a humble team player. You feel that your role is very small in the grand scheme of things, but the truth is without you, the school could fall apart. Unfortunately, no one would neither appreciate nor admit that until you left.

Schroeder – You see teaching as more of an art as opposed to a science. You appear to have it all together, but staff and students would be astonished to know that you have your problems too. The difference is that you are able to conceal those issues and shift your focus to your passion for teaching.

Sally – You are a pragmatist that is constantly asking questions and demanding answers. There has to be a reason for everything – student behavior, new curriculum. It is never “just because.”

Pigpen – Your classroom is a “pigpen” and that is perfectly ok with you! You are comfortable in your own skin and make no apologies for your teaching style and personality.

Marcie – You are a teaching genius, always reading up on the latest educational research and spatting out the latest educational jargon. Although you do not realize it, your teaching style is very monotonous. You often speak above the students’ heads, yet the students find you affable and therefore stay awake in your class.

Franklin – According to Shultz, Franklin “has the fewest anxieties and obsessions” in comparison to the other ‘Peanuts’ characters. He is Charlie Brown’s confidant; the one character who never has a negative thing to say about his buddy. Franklin is consistent and reliable. Makes you wonder why very few people remember him, doesn’t it?

            What kind of ‘Peanuts’ teacher are you? Or are you a combination of two or more? Regardless of which character(s) most accurately describes you, it is important for you to know that your role in your specific school building is necessary. We need the optimists. We need the teachers who keep everyone (staff and students) in line. We need the pragmatist. We need the imaginative, laid back teacher. We need leaders as well as team players. You see, it takes all kinds of personalities to make the world we live in and it is our job to teach students how to work well with others, regardless of their differences.  It is equally important that we teach our students to be self-reflective and keenly aware of who they are so that they can better understand themselves and the consequences of their actions, good or bad. And it never hurts to practice what we preach.

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