Yes, there really is a teacher with a chicken head.
And no, it’s not fresh or anything. It’s a fake chicken head (obviously). More like a chicken hat than a full-on chicken head, to be honest.
This particular chicken-head-owner is one of the most popular math teachers in all of Korea, where teachers have the same kind of prestige as celebrities do here from where I write in the good ole’ US of A.
So you can imagine what it takes to become the cream of the crop in such a high-pressure environment. Yet, this one lowly math teacher managed to shoot to the top of his field…
And it’s all thanks to the chicken head.
But what does a chicken head have to do with teaching math? you ask.
Well, I don’t speak Korean, but I’m guessing the answer is:
Nothing.
Nothing except for the ability to add pure fun, delight, and silliness to a torturous academic subject, that is.
You see, boring, blasé math teachers who teach math by the book are a dime a dozen.
But a math teacher who teaches while wearing a chicken head?
Now there’s a math class I actually want to take.
This brilliant chicken-head-sporting teacher has mastered one of the most powerful forms of communication in existence, one that I strive to inject into my own craft:
Entertain-ducation.
You see, when you need to educate someone on something, you are 100x more effective when you entertain them as well.
Now, obviously, it’s not just the chicken head that makes this Korean math teacher stand out. He has to know his stuff, and switch out the chicken head for other things too — Squirrel head? Alligator? Panda? (Even a chicken head gets boring if you wear it every day)
The point is, if you can combine deep knowledge with a sense of humor, you’ve got a winner.
Kind of like in this story inspired by a real-life science teacher.
Anyway, entertainducation is my goal in almost everything I write, whether it’s a 3,000-word blog post or a shorter form email.
And it’s what I will be doing more of going forward.
Stick around and you shall see what I mean…
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