What triggered it was this: a Muppet-sized 7th grader came to the front of the classroom to tell the teacher that his pen had exploded, then he turned his head so the teacher (and the rest of us) could see the egg-sized blob of pen on his forehead. (This has me doubled over with laughter now as I try to write this.)
So the teacher (who is super dry and unphased by anything) sent him to the bathroom; meanwhile the bunch of kids I was sitting near were all laughing. They all stopped laughing until they saw me bent over hiding my face and shaking with laughter. The tears were pouring out and I couldn't stop giggling. Eventually the room quieted down as the kids went back to work and as I tried to calm myself by thinking serious thoughts. But instead the image of the huge ink stain on his forehead popped back into my brain and a guffaw escaped my lips! The teacher immediately looked at me and I signaled "I'm sorry, I'm sorry" but I just couldn't pull myself together.
The kids around me thought this was so funny. They seriously looked at me like I was a fascinating exhibit at the zoo. I suppose part of their fascination came from knowing that had one of them been acting this way the teacher would have sent them to the classroom across the hall to stand with their nose against the dry erase board (this is a common occurrence and is also funny), so they must have wondered if the teacher would assign me a similar fate.
Fortunately he did not. I was finally able to pull myself together with thoughts of termination. I kept picturing the principal walking into the room to scold me. This method was helpful and I was able to get back to helping the kids around me, except I swear they were trying to get me started again by saying things like, "Where is he? He's been in the bathroom a LONG time?" and "What a dufus, he had pen all over his forehead." As the kids were speculating as to where he could have gone, I had a vision of him in the front office having the secretary use Windex on his head. Just thinking about it got me laughing again, but I was able to stifle it so it didn't escalate again. I couldn't tell if the teacher thought it was funny too (he's very hard to read), but he didn't say anything about it.
Eventually (seriously like 20 minutes later) the boy came back to class with a faded ink stain on his head! It almost started me up again except that this time he would know about me laughing and would be embarrassed, so I was able to keep things under control.
I think it was a bonding moment for me and the surrounding students, and it was definitely the best laugh I've had in awhile. Good times.
**Have you gotten the giggle in an inappropriate setting?
Have you ever had a huge ink stain on your forehead?
How would you have stifled your laughter?**
Have you ever had a huge ink stain on your forehead?
How would you have stifled your laughter?**
Comment Window Tidbit: Apparently Whitney got sick at school today, so Randy picked her up and brought her home. I didn't know anything about it until I got home and found her in her pajamas. What the?!
20 comments:
Does laughing during prayer count?! I definitely see this as a bonding experience for you and the students.
Sorry about Whitney. I wouldn't like to come home to find out this news. What are phones for after all?!
I'm getting the giggles just picturing this whole scene. It sure sounds like a bonding experience between you and the students!
I hardly ever laugh so hard I can't control myself. But I can definitely picture you doing it!
Too bad about Whitney!
Aww sorry about the sick Whitney.
Hello, my name is Shelly and I'm a giggler!
I too have recently had a fit of giggles.
It was in Relief Society, the teacher was teaching a beautiful lesson on faith but there was this fly that kept buzzing everyone. I, in the RS presidency (yay, that just added to my horror) became obessed with this diving bombing fly. It finally landed on a church bag, and the Sister was rolling up her manual to swat it.... Missed! Aaaagh! this continued until the suicidal fly landed on the classic Mormon sister giving the lesson NOSE! I lost it, right there on the front row, opposite side of the room from the door. Giggles that got harder the more I tried to swallow them.
AT the most faith promoting quote I bust out in a full laugh! run out of the room and lose it!
Oh ho. That is funny Jill. Yes, yes, I've gotten them a couple of times and at my age a girl really should have a handle on things like that. Shhhh. Once was in the temple. Oh ho. It still makes me laugh when I think about it.
Poor Whitney. Did you feel bad?
Yes, many giggles when I should've been more serious. It's so hard to control. I'm laughing over the dry erase board too. Does that actually work?
Poor Whitney. Hope her jammies and cozy helped her out this afternoon.
That is AWESOME! Poor kid though! I wonder how he managed to get his pen to explode??
I think the more inappropriate time to laugh, the more I start to giggle--think the temple...Once Sam and I had hometeachers over and one was giving a very loooong and heartfelt prayer and I started to silently giggle and so did Sam. We could feel each other's shoulders going up and down and I was scared to death one of us would let the sound escape. It was horrible!
I'm giggling just thinking about your giggles. It's happened to me before in various situations...
(and now I would love to hear Jane's story as well!).
Hope Whitney gets better soon!
P.S. Thankfully, I have never had a huge stain of any kind on my forehead.
Oh, man, I would have lost it, too. Only, lost bladder control, I mean. I've been known to do that....like, many times!
Oh the stories you are going to be able to tell! Believe me, as a nurse, I could write a book!
yep, I have... in a temple session. not good. I was shaking and I am sure my face was beat red- cause I knew it was NOT the time, kept getting the "eye' from those in front... but just tried to look down and not watch the man who was struggling to figure something out... I better not say much more, but trust me, you would have died watching it too!
I wish I could laugh like this when it IS appropriate, but for whatever reason, things are never this funny when it's allowed...ya know?
I'm more and more convinced that keeping a sense of humor is the answer to all of life's woes...
This is pretty funny! The worst laughing fit Jason and I both had was in the temple! We were at the Manti for his sisters wedding. We were all walking up the spiral staircase and some lady in front of us farted, loud. We are trying to stifle our laughs but like you it kept coming. We get into the sealing room and she sits right next to us. At this point we do a guffaw also and could not pull ourselves together the whole sealing. The worst part of it all is that this was the one lone aunt who was actually LDS on my BIL side who came for the sealing and we laughed the whole time!
I hope Whitney is feeling better.
Oh this is funny!! I would have been a giggling mess too!!
I hope Whitney is feeling better
Reminds me of getting the giggles in the middle of church
There was a time on my mission I was telling a story to a couple of elders at our district meeting and I totally lost it like that- the ugly laugh. I could not control it. I was tearing up and a wheezing/laugh sound was coming out. Totally embarrassing. It's so hard to stop it once it starts.
By the way, I think it's great to have a laugh like that every now and then. It's like a good sneeze or a great nap.
Story of my life. The more inappropriate my laughter is, the harder I laugh. It just keeps getting funnier and funnier to me.
too funny. i had a moment like that on my mission when my southern companion was butchering the spanish language in a prayer. we actually all ended up laughing hilariously (we were teaching a family) and had to restart...
i have been known to laugh at many inappropriate times. story of my life.
That poor teacher that did not laugh has had the life sucked out of her!
I am really enjoying reading about your new junior high experiences. I've been so crazy busy lately I don't always make time to comment, but thanks for the laughs!
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