Pushover.

How did I miss the memo? You know, the one that says Miss Terry is not to be taken seriously?

This afternoon, during 7th period, I got really frustrated because my class was completely out of hand. I turned around from writing fascinating notes on the board about Main Idea sentences to glare silently at the students before ripping into them with my most stern, mean, teacher-like voice.

"I don't know what gave you the idea that I can only write a certain number of pink slips (disciplinary referrals) in a class period," I shouted, "but you should be aware that, in this class, there is NOT safety in numbers."

Silence. Success! For all of 10 seconds.

I hear a squeak coming from the back of the room. I direct my stare towards the source of the sound, only to find the quietest, smartest kid in the class with his face screwed up in an expression of what looked like pain. The more I watched him and the more his control broke, I realized that he was holding back laughter!

His fight didn't last long. Within 5 seconds, he was laughing out loud, the loudest sound I've heard from him in the last 8 weeks that we've been in school. He was hyperventilating. Hiccuping. CRYING with mirth!

I couldn't help myself. Watching him struggle to regain control, I started laughing, too. The rest of the class lost it. It was over.

I still have no idea what prompted this quiet kid's crack of composure. I, of course, am rethinking the incident over and over, trying to figure out if I said something wrong, something that only the smartest, quietest kid in the class would pick up on. Who knows?

In the meantime, I'm losing ground on the mean teacher gig. Sigh.