A Need for Fun and Stimulation
Fooling around with friends is natural and healthy. Children would almost in- variably rather fool around than do their work, so teachers should expect that and not resent it. (Truth be told, we were probably like that too. And it never completely goes away for some of us; watch adults at faculty meetings.) This doesn’t change in any way the teacher’s responsibility to make instruction inter- esting and relevant or to make the rules clear and enforce student engagement. But it does perhaps temper irritation to remember that social urges and youth- ful energy underlie some disruptive behavior.