How to Make Sure Your Students Remember You

Here’s how to make sure your students remember you for the rest of their lives. Ready?

Greet them at the door with an energetic hello and a smile.

Have a fun puzzle on the board for them to try while you check their homework.

Begin passing back quizzes and checking homework.

Walk over to the right side of the room and…

FALL FLAT ON YOUR ASS.

The floor hasn’t been cleaned and is dusty, and therefore, slippery which causes your feet to go out from under you. One second you’re standing, the next you’re flat on your back on the floor. You slide into a desk with the right side of your body, you re-sprain the ankle you sprained 2 weeks ago and smack your head on the floor. Thankfully you didn’t feel it coming because, if you had broken your fall, you might have broken your arm. As you’re laying there on the floor, you thank your brain for remembering that you were in the presence of 13-year-olds and that no f-bombs exploded out of your mouth.

The students collectively gasp and make sure you’re ok and even offer you their hand to help you up off the floor. After making sure you’re ok, everyone, including you, erupts into laughter. One student thought that you were dead because you fell so fast; she thought you passed out. She even gives you a hug. You tease the student right next to where you fell that he shouldn’t have tripped you. You dust yourself off, laugh at yourself and continue teaching.

Later, you tell your students about the time you fell backwards off a stool when you taught high school. This fall today was may more epic, you assure them. We all agree that it was too bad no one got it on video. You could have been a YouTube sensation.

Throughout the day, students come in and tell you they heard about your fall. Others check in to make sure you’re ok. We all still giggle about it throughout the day.

You get home, you post about it on Facebook, and one of your students who was in high school when you fell off your stool (almost 10 years ago) says “Oh yes! Of course I remember that! How could you beat that fall??” and that’s when you know, with 100% certainty, that the students in class that day will never, ever forget you. They might not remember the math you taught them, or the advice you gave, but they’ll sure as heck remember the teacher that fell flat on her ass in front of class.