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.
This article can also be found on...
http://teachingtipsbydenise.blogspot.com/2012/12/what-kind-of-peanuts-teacher-are-you.html#!/2012/12/what-kind-of-peanuts-teacher-are-you.html
