A Friendly Teacher, not a Teacherly Friend

Even though he tells his students — and means it — that "I am your teacher, not your friend," Mike Hussey's English classroom at Marc Garneau Collegiate Institute in Toronto is not a completely sombre and serious place.

Not when attendance must be answered with four words in iambic pentameter, a line from a favourite song or an alliterative phrase once a week. ("I tell them the day before how to answer attendance," Hussey explains. "It keeps them on their toes." ) Or when, at any time, students may be surprised with an unusual project such as the Great Egg Drop. (First, for no apparent reason, English students are required to design a package that protects two eggs through a 40-metre drop. Then, they are assigned an essay on group dynamics and it makes sense.)

Students work to meet Hussey's approval with jokes, which must be original, about their teacher's socks (he teaches without shoes), hair (he is bald) and coffee (he is never without it). They can also challenge their teacher's (deliberately) illogical and invalid arguments at any time with, "Excuse me sir, but with all respect, I believe that's crap." But they had better be able to prove it!

This apparently riotous but carefully constructed atmosphere has helped make Hussey's courses among the most popular in the school, putting students at their ease, encouraging them to think creatively and critically and stretching them to excel. "It's all part of the art of classroom management," grins Hussey, who presents seminars on this "art" to student teachers.