1. Educational therapeutic clowns work in schools at all levels – high school, middle school, elementary school.
2. Educational therapeutic clowns work with students in mainstream education. They can also work with special needs pupils but for the most part you can find them in mainstream schooling systems.
3. Educational clowns are not students or teachers; they are friends and confidants to the former and helpers, an extra eye and ear to the latter.
4. Educational clowns thrive on bridging the student-teacher and student-student barrier; getting sides to laugh together, breathe together and delight in absurdity together. By bringing and sharing a sense of humor to the school day, the clowns enable a better readiness to teach, learn and communicate.
5. Educational clowning is born out of the field of medical clown-care. Research studies have shown that hospital clowns make a positive impact on hospitalized children and adults alike, using their healing power of humor. So, think about the impact educational therapeutic clowns can make in an anxiety-ridden, socially challenging and jumpy environment, better known as, ‘school.’
Oshi works as an educational clown with the Educational Clowning Initiative in Israel.
This blog post first appeared on the blog of Viva Sarah Press.