​Classroom Clowning

Many of us remember the "class clown" from our schooling years, but perhaps not many witnessed professional clowning introduced within our coursework. I visit schoolrooms and put on shows- some silly and abstract, some specifically tailored for lessons, and always educational. Even silly, nonsensical entertainment allows students to think outside the box if crafted properly from a place of discovery. Children are great at this- discovering through limitless imagination thrives in kids' brains. But as they grow older, cram more information about the world into their heads, and understand structure and routine, they begin to follow societal patterns to assimilate- this is an evolved defense mechanism that makes us tolerable business partners, but often forsakes our independent imaginations.
In clowning, I remind kids to leap without that safety net of societal norms and see world around them in a playful, beautiful light. This lends itself to appreciating the world around them- when a chair is not simply a chair but also a dancing partner, a crown, a musician, or a pet with a mind and behavior of its own, they can open their eyes to merge physics and thought, and ideally appreciate the world through a different lens- the chair makes a great partner and tool, if it's broken or mistreated, it doesn't work normally and it can hurt us if it isn't cared for. Thus, discovery of the physical world through clown is a universal, well-rounded exercise.
This work applies to humans of all ages, but that's a longer psychological discussion.

Educational Variety Clown with Sherman Elementary, San Francisco