Bored Panda reached out to British comedy writer and single mom, Ariane Sherine, to get her insights about the boundaries of humor in how students communicate with their teachers. What's more, we had a chat about what parents can do to help their kids stress less over tests and grades, as well as the best approach to helping out with homework.

Ariane told us that she "absolutely" thinks that there's room for humor in how students and teachers communicate with each other, Furthermore, it can be a good way to strengthen the bond between them. Though she notes that this works only "as long as 'funny' doesn't stray into 'rude' territory."

"Having a laugh with your teacher can help you bond with them. But it's definitely best to err on the side of caution if you're unsure whether a joke's too risky or not," she advised that students need to keep an eye out for respect, not just competing who can throw out the wittiest comment.

A parent's support is essential when it comes to helping their children maintain their confidence. "I always just tell my daughter to do her best," Comedy expert and parent Ariane told Bored Panda what her approach is like when it comes to tests and grades.

"If you genuinely do your best, there's literally nothing more you can do. Effort is important, and achievement generally follows, but not always. There are different ability levels but all I expect is effort," she explained.

As for homework, there's a lot to be said about promoting a student's independence as a parent. "I think letting your kids get on with homework by themselves, but also letting them know that you're always there for them if they get stuck is the best approach," she said that it's all about striking a balance.

"Definitely not doing it for them, as that way they won't learn," she said that there's no point in doing your kid's homework for them because it defeats the entire purpose of assigning it in the first place.

A lot depends on the specific teacher who set your child’s test. If they’re more easy-going, they might actually appreciate the out-of-the-box thinking and witty answers. However, someone stricter, who feels that there’s only one ‘right’ way to answer any question might end up scolding your kid and giving them a bad grade.

There’s also a lot to be said about the type of school you send your children to. Whether or not the institution values creativity or rote memorization will depend not only on the teachers hired to work there, but also on the principal and local superintendent, how the PTA deals with things, and what the overall philosophy of the school board might be.

There definitely has to be at least some structure throughout the school day. You can’t just let your kids run completely free, doing whatever they want, without care, for years on end. Though there are schools like that and it’s up to every family to decide what’s best for their loved ones, generally speaking, there has to be a healthy balance between freedom and discipline.

Guidance from teachers and an expectation to follow the rules aren’t necessarily bad things, so long as they don’t try to limit their students’ expression and creativity for no good reason.

Plenty of you Pandas have probably felt firsthand what it means to successfully one-up your teacher… and how bitter some of them get. If you correct your teacher in front of the class or tell a joke, you’re basically flipping a coin. The more empathetic educators will probably laugh along with you, thank you for your observations, or even start a discussion with the class about how, hey, not everyone knows all the answers.

However, someone who feels that their authority is being undermined (usually, they have low self-esteem) might punish the students who ‘dare’ to stand out. They might give them worse grades, for example. Or try to trip them up in various ways, like assigning extra homework, more tests, or extremely draining coursework. If this is an ongoing issue, the parents definitely need to get involved and have a chat about the situation. No bullying—by an adult no less!—should be tolerated.

Now that’s not to say that students should be free to disrupt the class all day, every day with their sass. Humor is great in small doses. However, it loses its charm when the class clown has to have the spotlight on them in every single class. There’s got to be a bit of mutual respect between the students and their teachers here. Having fun in class is perfectly fine, so long as you actually manage to learn something and don’t take away the opportunity to study from your fellow classmates.

Interpersonal skills, feeling comfortable and confident in front of a crowd, quick-wittedness and the ability to improvise under pressure, thinking in ways that others don’t, your general amiability—these are fantastic skills to have for any kid or grownup.

A large part of your success in life comes down to how you communicate with people. Being charming and spreading smiles are useful tools in your arsenal no matter what career you choose. However… that might not be enough.

Ideally, you should support your strong social skills with a good amount of knowledge in a few areas, whether that’s science, humanities, the arts, or something else. Sometimes you actually do have to find out what the angle of a specific triangle is, not just be able to talk your way out of the entire situation. Especially when it comes to more technically-minded careers.

Some time ago, Professor Lisa McLendon, from the University of Kansas, shared a few thoughts with Bored Panda about how educators can motivate their students. She pointed out that there are two parts to inspiring your students to aim for the stars.

 "One, give them a solid foundation to build their skills and knowledge on, so they’ll be able to succeed at whatever they choose to pursue," the professor told us.

"Two, give them support and encouragement—and the benefit of your own network, if possible—to help them get where they want to be," she shared that educators have the power to help their students build a solid foundation for a future career.

"Lots of people don’t get there [where they want to be in life] right away, or end up somewhere else completely, and if students see how others have navigated their career paths, it helps instill some patience and also an openness to other possible pathways," the professor said that educators have the ability to support their students through their highs and lows. Encouragement goes a long way, whether or not someone’s still studying or has already graduated.

"Relating concepts and skills to real-world activities can help many students understand not just what they’re doing but why. Explaining the purpose of big-picture things like a whole course as well as small things like individual assignments can help students understand why what they’re doing is relevant. Also, putting concepts and skills into the larger field can help students contextualize what they’re doing and see how it relates to things they’ve done before and things they’ll be doing at the next level," Profesor McLendon said.

How an educator should give feedback will depend a lot on their students. For instance, some might want simple and direct feedback. Others might prefer a more diplomatic, subtle approach.

One way to let a student know that they might want to put more effort into their schoolwork is using the ‘sandwich method.’ “Tell the student something good about their work (bread), tell them how something could be better (filling), then tell them something else good, either about their work or about your confidence in their ability to do it (bread)," the professor told Bored Panda.