Dan Stevenson

Social studies and an invitation to Ultimate Fighting

Dan Stevenson said he gets a lot of laughs from his students at West Liberty Middle School.

“As a teacher, there are two times with the fun of school and the fun of middle schools,” said Stevenson, 31, a social studies teacher. “Some of the funny stuff is students’ own sense of humor.”

Much of that humor comes as students look for their own ways to have fun, he said. Some make jokes, causing him and others to laugh. Some make outrageous claims and requests. One student, for example, continually challenges Stevenson to an Ultimate Fighting Championship-style cage match.

“I keep finding a variety of reasons to keep pushing it back,” he said.

Stevenson also looks for ways to keep things light while keeping it related to schoolwork, a skill honed while driving a cab part-time in Iowa City.

“It’s the ability to not take things too seriously,” he said. “Anytime you can get students to laugh and it’s related to school, it’s an excellent motivator to teach. Keeping a fun, laugh-filled classroom is good when dealing with difficult content. I always like to laugh off difficulties in the classroom.”

— Rob Daniel

Iowa City Press-Citizen -- March 12, 2009