Thursday, May 25, 2006

El Snapo

When you were in high school, did you used to snap your fingers to drive your substitute teachers (or even your regular teachers) crazy? Because apparently that's what the kids are doing nowadays. One kid will snap his fingers and then you'll look in the direction of the snap and then another kid in another part of the room will snap their fingers and then you'll look over there and then another snap and another snap and another snap and by now your students are all giggling and then your head explodes.

Just another day in the salt mines, or whatever it is they say.

20 comments:

christy said...

first!!! hoo-ahhh-haaa!!!

Kyle said...

Wow, when I was teaching it was lip-smacking.

ME: Rodney, I said no talking. RODNEY: (rolls eyes, smacks lips)
ME: (screams inside)

Erik said...

Oh I haven't gotten any lip smacking. It's all about the snapping.

And I knew "that's so gay" was a popular phrase, but I didn't realize quite HOW HUGELY POPULAR it is. Which is so gay.

Rebecca said...

We did the pencil drop. Same concept, except add on the sound of pencils rolling across the floor, one after the other.

Good times.

Erik said...

Oh, Rebecca, the pencil drop is brilliant! (Of course it wouldn't work in a classroom with carpet.) But it's totally brilliant.

Erik said...

FWL: I like that the kid in your anecdote is named Rodney. That makes me laugh for some reason.

Rodney.

Kyle said...

Wow, yeah, Rodney, he takes me back. He was a lip-smacker. He also threw things and hit people. Actually, that's not his real name, now that I think of it. Which is good, because I kinda felt bad about using the kid's real name, even if it is only his first name, but now that I remember that I called him the wrong name by mistake, we'll just continue in that vain and say, "there was this kid, we'll call him Rodney, who smacked his lips, threw things, and hit people...."

I don't know the pencil-drop, but there was constant pencil-tapping, which, when my classroom was peaceful enough to be free of lip-smacking, projectiles, and physical assault, was also rather irritating.

Sometimes things just shift into perspective and being a secretary is so pleasant!

Erik said...

FWL, I know you mean, like, paper airplanes and other assorted things when you say "projectiles," but of course "projectiles" makes me think of projectile vomiting, and now Rodney really seems like a terror in my head.

Erik said...

Uma, maybe they don't have the phrase in Canada (because maybe they don't have salt mines in Canada) but I'm pretty sure "back to the salt mines" means "back to work, ug."

Erik said...

Notice I called you "Uma" just then because I was, like, lecturing you on what "back to the salt mines" meant.

Erik said...

Hi Steve.

Erik said...

Oh, and if anyone was wondering, the picture at the top of this post is, yes, of Ben Folds.

Anonymous said...

Hello Erik (and everyone else). I just finished with 2 weeks of jury duty and now I'm back 'in the'(?) salt mines.

Erik said...

Steve, I think it's "to the" not "in the." This calls for google.

Erik said...

But maybe I'm thinking of "back TO THE drawing table"?

Erik said...

Or maybe both of those phrases are "to the" phrases.

Anonymous said...

drawing *board*

LF

christy said...

it's about taking risks, erik.

Erik said...

omg. drawing table. ha. that's so funny. i am terrible at phrases. you know, old idioms and cliches. but now i love "back to the drawing table."

Bonnie said...

Ours was Snapple lid popping. A bunch of 'em going are like little clicking castanets.