I spent many years working hard trying to make sure that things got funny in stories. I would think outside of class of ways to bring in a certain celebrity, or some fact about a kid, so that, if it weren’t a home run story, it would at least be at least a single or double.
I once recommended in a book to teachers that they carry around with them during class a list of celebrities. Back then I was forcing my instruction. I was trying too hard. Everybody was trying too hard, except the students.
Now the celebrities come from the students—their creations become famous to their own class and sometimes even to other classes who hear about them from lunchtime conversations with their friends.
I therefore do not have to bring the pop culture into my classroom. We make our own classroom culture based on lighthearted fun and not the ever-changing carousel of often shallow drama that constitutes the popular culture.
Now I see that all the worry about forcing the story to be funny was unnecessary, and that all I needed was a plan. The stress from all that worry was actually working against increased humor and interest.