Teaching Class Clowns: And What They Can Teach Us

"A challenging opportunity for the teacher to capitalize on this all-too-often overlooked student."
—Donald W. Russell, Professor Emeritus and Acting Dean School of Education, University of North Carolina, Greensboro

"Offers much needed fresh air and insightful messages."
—John J. Schmidt, Professor of Counselor Education East Carolina University

"For a class clown, reading this book was like looking into a mirror. But I looked, sounded, and seemed smarter in Purkey's mirror."
—Tim Cusack, Speaker, Trainer, Actor

Leverage the unique humor of class clowns to improve classroom management and student motivation!

This first-of-its-kind resource shows teachers, administrators, and counselors how to teach these unique yet at-risk learners while also leveraging their blend of humor and intelligence to inject joy and enthusiasm into the classroom. Written by a veteran educator (and self-described class clown), this concise guide combines laugh-out-loud writing with the author’s field-tested expertise to help educators:

1. Identify the four "signature" tendencies of class clowns
2. Employ practical classroom strategies to keep instruction moving
3. Prevent class clowns from acting out by understanding how to teach them

About The Author:
William Watson Purkey is Professor Emeritus of Counselor Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Co-Founder of the International Alliance for Invitational Education. The Alliance is a non-profit educational group dedicated to creating and maintaining truly welcoming schools.

William was born in Shenandoah, Virginia and went on to become a soda jerk, theatre usher, life guard, book store clerk, fish store manager, railroad yard clerk, gandy dancer, U.S. National Park Ranger, junior high school teacher, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Specialist in the United States Air Force, and tenured full professor at two major universities.

In addition to receiving the Board of Governors' Award for Excellence inTeaching, the highest award for teaching given by the University of North Carolina System, he also received the 2005 Excellence in Education Award presented by the Royal Conservatory of Music for his work in encouraging learning through the arts.

William's mission in life is to invite others to laugh, learn, and live fully. He now lives in Greensboro, North Carolina with Imogene, his bride of 54 years.