Gumby and Pokey

Did you ever play with Gumby and Pokey as a kid?  My baby brother did and was ridiculed by us older boys for not selecting a play toy with a little more of a testosterone edge. Dad caught wind of this and showed us where the woodshed was located. Regardless, after several years and a twelve step program, he is off of his Gumby addiction and now runs a town government.  Gumby and Pokey were created by Art Clokey in the 1950’s after his graduation from USC.  Gumby, over the years, has been quite thegregarious fellow and probably should have been a Boy Scout because he always left things better than he found them. He (I can only assume he is a male, but then again, he is not wearing clothes and the evidence of the proper chromosome pairing is not evident).  Gumby is an optimist and saw the glass way past half full. He is an idealist.  Gumby takes chances.  Pokey, on the other hand is a grumblebutt.  Pokey is skeptical.  He (there goes that gender thing again) is a pessimist.  He is sarcastic and somewhat of an “intelligent gluteus”.  Gumby takes him places that he doesn’t want to go, but, in the end, Pokey is thankful for the trip and understands the journey had a purpose. 

Are you a Gumby or a Pokey?  There are a lot of personality traits from Pokey that will not serve you well as a teacher.  First, kids do not typically understand sarcasm.  Research will tell you that the use of sarcasm will not serve you well as a teacher.  Pokey is a party-killer.  Pokey would not enjoy inventing relevant examples for his students if he were a teacher.  Pokey, as an educator, would fail miserably.  Even though he is physically flexible, his mindset is not flexible at all.  He would never try anything new and would probably use the same lesson plans that he used 60 years ago in his less than stellar career.  Consequently, he would never take his students to the next level because he would be satisfied with the status quo.  Gumby, on the other hand, would always make his classroom interesting. He would take his students to new levelsand encourage them along the way. He would be creative. He would try new things. He would make concepts relevant.  Yes, he is physically flexible.  More importantly, Gumby is mentally flexible.  He would find a way to get things done and would do whatever it takes to advance his students.  The next time you bend down to touch your toes, remember than mental and professional flexibility is an asset to good teaching.  Your students need to understand that the journey has a purpose.  This can be expressed by your daily and long-term goals.

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The AFC first place Cleveland Browns play this Sunday on the shores of Lake Erie against the Detroit Lions. I hope that that Lions have lost their roar!  Calvin Johnson is requested to stay at home.