Shoelace disruptions

Most of the time, when there is a disruption or misbehavior during class, I try not to let any humor show, even if in the back of my mind I'm thinking, This will make a great story! Some of the students will take even the slightest smile from me as license to laugh at the student causing the disruption, and of course that student will take laughter as encouragement to continue the behavior. So most of the time I'm able to keep a straight face and deal with the problem before it causes chaos in the room.

For instance, today during Math class, a boy raised his hand and when I called on him, he said, "I have a new watch," and held up his wrist for everyone to see his freshly drawn blue-ink watch. I said, "Now's not the time to discuss that," and went on with the division lesson. Later I told asked him to please not draw on himself with pen during class.

But one day not too long ago I couldn't help myself. I did the unthinkable. I burst out laughing in the middle of Social Studies class at the antics of two of my boys.

The class was seated on the carpet, and I was reading to them. Some of the students starting laughing, so I (unhappy at being interrupted) asked the two boys who seemed to be causing the disruption what the problem was. The one said something about his shoelaces being tied together. I thought someone had tied his shoelaces to each other while he wasn't paying attention. I told him to take care of it quietly ,and I began reading again. Well, the giggling and disruption continued, so I told that boy to go out in the hallway and take care of the problem and not come back in until he was ready to listen quietly. I was expecting him to hop out of the room, but I figured at least the rest of the class could concentrate then. So he got up and started walking, dragging one foot behind him. The other boy - quietly, without saying a word - started crawling along behind him, and I realized THEIR shoelaces were tied together! That's when I couldn't control my burst of laughter. That mental image still makes me smile. Oh boys.

I think I might have gray hair by the end of this year.