The Value of Being Silly

The other day I was conducting mock interviews with student teachers at a local college. The last young lady I interviewed said something that surprised me.

Me:  What are the three most important things for me to know about you?

Young lady:  … The second thing for you to know about me is that I am silly. 

I have to admit, I can’t recall much of what the other candidates told me in response to this question, but I do remember her response. She gave me some examples, like she is the leader of her college’s Quidditch organization. I instantly related to her because I too am silly.

We spent Easter with my dad and his wife. During the course of one of our conversations, I showed him my musical.ly app and a few of the videos I created. He responded with something like, “Why would you ever make something like this? Do you show this to people? Do they know you are a principal?” You would think that I was recreating Miley Cyrus videos.

It is risky to be silly isn’t it? I think that is why some people think I have so much confidence, because I am willing to be silly in front of others. Alas, I suffer from the same self-doubt and imposter syndrome as many do, but I appreciate being silly too much to keep it under wraps. The risk lies in potential judgement–what will people think if I am silly like this? I do care about what people think, I just don’t care enough to let it stop me from doing the things I value. 

I am a teacher to my core, so I always feel the need to share what I value with others so that maybe it could benefit them like it benefits me. I share my silliness through social media like musical.ly, Instagram and Voxer. I am also silly in real-life as much as I can be, with my sons, husband, friends, and family. I am silly with my students and colleagues at school. To me, a day without silliness is a day wasted. It brings a light-hearted fun and positive energy into life that fuels my creativity and helps me find joy in the simplest of things. A haircut, for example: Haircut musical.ly video (15 seconds)

I also think that is one of the reasons why my principalship at Quincy Elementary has been such a natural fit. Case in point, from our Staff VS Fifth Graders Bball Game on 3/31/16:

  

What do we teach our students and our own children through role-modeling silliness? I believe that we teach them to not take life so seriously, to not sweat the small stuff, to invite joy and fun into our lives as much as possible, to be generous with our fun by sharing it with others, and to have fun WITH others rather than AT the expense of others. The list could go on and on.

So please tell me, do you value being silly? How do your share your silliness? Do you let potential judgements by others influence your silliness? Does silliness have a place on Twitter for educators? I follow Dean Shareski @shareski (who is a silliness role-model) and a tweet he sent out a few weeks ago has me thinking–are we too one-dimensional on Twitter?

(See more Quincy fun and silliness, and character building: Something BIG at Quincy 4min)

7 thoughts on “The Value of Being Silly”

  1. Being silly brings joy to my life and the lives of others. It makes the world a happier place and that’s important????

  2. Ok tried to leave a comment on twitter, just to difficult for a Friday. But felt complete to send my input via email.

    They say laughter is the best medicine, for what I am not sure. Life is too serious, children have more to bare than we ever did, lighten their load, give them something to smile about. Share the laughter and your love for life, be happy (silly). People judge regardless if you are silly or not that will never change, but never compromise who you are. Your smile and silliness are the best parts of you. You inspire and create a welcoming workplace for your staff and all the children that attend Quincy Elementary, we should all take some ques from you. Thanks for being silly;)

    On Fri, Apr 1, 2016 at 11:54 AM, Serendipity in Education wrote:

    > allysonapsey posted: “The other day I was conducting mock interviews with > student teachers at a local college. The last young lady I interviewed said > something that surprised me. Me: What are the three most important things > for me to know about you? Young lady: .” >

  3. I am silly too…LOTS more than I should be, even as a Superintendent!

    One of my main reasons for being silly is that it is my job to “set the tone”. Life in Central Office lacks fun (usually) and the ladies in my office almost never see the kids. I make it a point to be silly with my office once a week (and with my admin team regularly as well)…and yes…even the teachers know I’m silly.

    As a Mom, I’m Super Silly because life is about choice! I choose HAPPY!

  4. Absolutely love this, Allyson! Silliness without caring how others may or may not judge you is what makes life fun. Who cares if they would never do it? Life is too short to be serious 24/7. Besides, I’ve found that silliness and success absolutely can go hand in hand. Love your blog. Will be back!

    Best,

    Alli

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