I found myself on a little laughing jag today, in the midst of my midday class. It was one of those things where I started to giggle then couldn't stop - a for-real laugh, not the usual grown-up teacher chuckle then back to business stance; the situation really was funny (a couple of nearby students joined in, which is what kept me going I think) but it was also as though I opened a valve that had rusted shut. With the nonsense of my former friend/divorcing husband and many students in a state of midterm shut-down, I guess I've been more closed off & stressed out than I realized. My class was at first amused with me in a "Wow, she's really laughing! That's cool" place, then I could see them start to be like "Um, is she going to hurt us? Should we start moving toward the door?" when I began to sound like a lunatic.
I got hold of myself and told a couple of my favorite jokes:
Why did the monkey fall out of the tree?
[because it was dead]
Knock, knock.
Who's there?
Control freak.
Control fre --- THIS IS THE PART WHEN YOU SAY "CONTROL FREAK WHO?"
And all was well.
