Teasing

I try to use humor in my classroom to keep things fun.  I find I can sometimes defuse situations by joking around. 

One of my students challenged me with this a few months ago.  He wanted to know why I could tease people and he couldn't.

This question must have been bubbling around in the back of my brain for awhile, because this week I got my answer.

I was volunteering at church with another family and I was teasing the eight-year-old about jobs I was going to have him do.  His four-year-old sister said, "You can't tease me."

"I'm going to have you mop all the floors," I told her.  She giggled.  She was included in the game.

That's my answer.  If the teasing is fun for everyone, it can be a way to pay attention to someone and show affection.  The little sister wanted to be included in the game I was playing with her brother.

My student, on the other hand, tends to tease in a mean-spirited disrespectful way.  The jokes are not agreed upon by everyone. 

If giver and receiver don't agree to a nickname, it's simply namecalling.