Students in Amber Chandler's classroom play Uno.
Share
April 28, 2025
Amber Chandler shares how she and her co-teacher are helping students rediscover joy, connection, and community—away from screens—through laughter, old-school games, and intentional fun. This heartwarming read is a reminder that sometimes, the best way to teach is by simply letting kids be kids.
Share
I am worried about today’s teenagers who have never had a life without cellphones, social media and the illusion of constant connection. As I observe kiddos in my eighth-grade classes, I see they want the same thing teens always have wanted: a place in the world that is safe and supportive. Unfortunately, they are turning to online communities for that, and it has taken its toll. These apps aren’t made with anything in mind except mining data. Their addictive design is doing its job very well, and teenagers feel like they are constantly connected, but it is an illusion. At the risk of sounding like an old person lamenting the past, walking both ways uphill to school, I think that today’s kiddos need to put down their phones and have some fun. The trouble with that, of course, is that many of them don’t even know how to do that. That’s where my co-teacher and I come in! We’ve made it our mission to help our students break the silence, to socialize, and to have fun being kids. Here are a few things we’ve been up to.
My co-teacher, Laura, has an amazing way of connecting with students, particularly the ones who have been hard to reach. She knows how to tease, poke fun at herself, and isn’t afraid to be goofy. She uses all the newest slang (all wrong, of course) and sings Christmas songs year round. Lately, when students are off track, she’ll start singing a song they know, and encourages them to join in. They’ve started echoing her renditions of “Sweet Caroline” and “Bye Bye Bye.”
One of my assistant principals, John Raczynski, has a “dad joke” at the ready. My other assistant principal, Fred Carstens, recently participated in a Bald for Bucks fundraiser where students got to buy a length of duct tape to tape him to the wall, helping to raise $825. To create an atmosphere where students want to be is, of course, always one of the goals of a school; however, when we begin to consistently and deliberately create moments for our students, the culture shifts. Edutopia’s “Playing to Learn in Middle and High School” explains the significant ways that playing helps students transfer learning from one context to another.
The Friday before spring break is only rivaled by the Friday before Christmas break for its feral energy. Ultimately, teachers know that a quarter of our students won’t be there, another quarter can’t sit still, and the remaining half won’t stop talking. This year, instead of fighting the very real anticipation of some much needed time off, we decided to lean into it. We told our eighth-graders we’d have a game day. To be honest, we were not expecting the resounding success we had. It was loud. I had to tell girls not to give piggyback rides, and boys not to arm wrestle. Wow though, did it feel good. This is what the day before break is supposed to feel like. No phones in sight, and kids being kids.
As I walked around taking pictures, there was an air of celebration, just hours before our 10 days off. However, there was also an earnestness I had forgotten eighth-graders could have. “We are still on the same round [of this game],” one of my quieter boys said, smiling, almost 30 minutes into class. I saw a few stragglers, so I entreated them to play a game of Uno. I’m not very casual with my students, usually, but soon I was treating them like my own kids, forcing a “reverse” and a “draw four,” my competitive side coming out. Later, as Laura and I were debriefing over lunch, we decided that this was an “old school” thing we needed to bring back: Fun Fridays.
If there is one thing I am good at, it is sneaking in learning everywhere. My own kiddos “got” to do Passion Projects and research every summer in order to have a celebration night where they picked the meal and shared a PowerPoint. I know, it may seem obvious to you, but you’d have to remember that my kids made PowerPoints before they knew they weren’t a game. Laura and I have started brainstorming and have decided that we should do our formative assessments during the first half of class on Fridays, but then, we should end the week with something fun. We don’t want it to cost much, if anything, and we want it to be technology free.
Some ideas we’ve come up with, many a flash from the past, are tried and true, yet probably new to these kiddos: Seven-Up, Mum Ball, charades, bingo, Simon Says, and epic Rock-Paper-Scissors. If, like me, you usually don’t write “fun” into your lesson plans, check out Ira Kessel’s lesson and resources for Energizing Brain Breaks by David Sladkey. I love these because they are appropriate for older kiddos, but I have also found that adolescent students are willing to be goofy and silly if it is structured for them. Share My Lesson has over 16,000 different resources for “brain breaks,” so there is definitely something for everyone.
Our classes are 42 minutes long. Any seasoned teacher will tell you that is really like 40 minutes on a good day. This means that we’ll be devoting--wholeheartedly--20 minutes a week to “Fun Fridays.” Will my students turn off their cellphones, return to the “good old days,” and spend an afternoon bored and creative? Probably not. But, we are going to take the opportunity to model for them some small moments, which is a start. If you have any ideas to share to help students “break the silence” and socialize again in “real life,” I’d love it if you’d share with me in the comments.
Empower your teaching with effective strategies and tools designed to support the whole student. This collection features insightful webinars and blogs covering student well-being, creating positive school environments, and fostering inclusive classrooms.
Want to see more stories like this one? Subscribe to the SML e-newsletter!
