Proverbs for the Classroom

It really doesn't matter what subject you teach; these proverbs will add a lot of fun to your classes as well as provide your students with the joy of being exposed to so much useful wisdom that proverbs provide. These proverbs are from many different countries, religions, and ethnic groups. Also, as you know, there are many proverb books available for you to sort through. Some books contain thousands of proverbs including the super-weak and hardly useable ones making it nearly overwhelming for teachers to find appropriate proverbs for their classrooms. Those hours of searching for the right proverbs have been done for you. The proverbs in this book have already been selected and proven to add much to a classroom. I've used them myself in my own classroom over the years, and based on a favorable response from students, I've chosen which proverbs would be included in this book and which would not be used. At the beginning of each school year, I would introduce proverbs to my students by explaining what they were. I would choose one proverb and explain that it has a simple meaning that all can agree with, and then there is a deeper meaning, and that deeper meaning is the wisdom we receive from proverbs. The proverb activity doesn't take long. The proverb is on the board already when the students walk in and they'll be thinking of a comical interpretation before class begins. The moment the class begins, the sharing takes place. The four or five minutes of class time is certainly not wasted, as the proverb activity stirs their senses and they are ready to tackle the math or English that follows. Students can be so creative in their interpretations. Some may even want to create their own proverbs modeled after the given proverb. For example, I had given this proverb to the class and in response, one student wanted to share his own proverb he had just created. The proverb I gave was this one: Continual cheerfulness is a sign of wisdom. (Irish) The student had shared this one: Continual goofiness is a sign of eighth grade. Oh, how true that is. Another proverb for the class was: Everyone pushes a falling fence. (Chinese) The student's creativity was: Prisons are for fencing fallen pushers. As you can see, it is just delightful to see the creativity of students. Needless to say, it seemed that no one would dare miss a class or be late for class knowing what he or she would be missing. I had not asked the students to write down the proverbs to keep for themselves. They wrote them down without being asked. The students wanted those proverbs and the fun that went with them. The proverbs are shown two-per-page with lots of blank space. That blank space is for you to write down the most entertaining student interpretations from your own classes, and then get the book republished. It doesn't matter what age group you are working with, as it would be fun to read the proverb interpretations of fourth graders, eighth graders, high school seniors, or even eighty-year-olds in a retirement community where those members with good minds might have wonderful words of wisdom to share from their interpretations. Whatever the age group, it would be interesting to witness how the maturity level influences what is shared. Some of the proverbs are serious and some others are funny, but all have value. Enjoy the fabulous experience ahead of you.