Blackboard jungle is a laugh every 9 minutes

TEACHERS enjoy their work so much that they laugh every nine minutes and smile every three, according to research into positive aspects of the classroom.

They relish banter with pupils (every eight minutes), dole out praise (every three minutes) and feel “happy and excited during the day”, say psychologists who analysed a series of lessons and survey responses.

Those teachers — and pupils — who do not recognise the job description are assured by the government quango that commissioned the research that the positive parts of teaching have been hitherto obscured by publicity about the negative aspects.

“This study demonstrates that teachers experience higher levels of enjoyment and optimal flow experience than people working in comparable careers,” said the training and development agency for schools (formerly the teacher training agency), the body that oversees recruitment and training.

The psychologists defi ne “ optimal flow experience” as a measure of enjoyment, concentration and absorption in a task, a concept recognised and reported by 44 per cent of teachers compared with 34 per cent of workers in other fields, such as IT, telecoms, marketing, PR, administration and banking.

“ According to the teachers interviewed and surveyed, many factors make their job enjoyable. They cited the buzz around the corridors, working with young people, the satisfaction gained from feedback from pupils and the cyclical nature of the school year as contributing to their happiness,” said the report published today.

“Most teachers clearly enjoyed giving lessons, with plenty of smiles, laughs and praise,” said the 88-page report on a survey of 1,000 teachers and lesson observation in eight schools last June and early July.