I have an admirer, it seems. →[More:]

The last month in the classroom has been trying. Rowdy, restless teenagers in crowded classrooms with stifling heat who, with the help of a few extra blood pressure pills, I was determined to prepare for the New York State English Regents, a two day, six hour exam, which they need to pass to graduate next year. It was not easy, and results aren't quite in yet (we have to finish grading the last essay on Monday), but I'm optimistic.

Well, one afternoon, during my last class of the day, which is generally not too bad, I got a bit frustrated. I give them time for silent reading each day (they need the practice), and on that day, they just wouldn't stop chatting. Finally, I got a bit testy. "Just read your freakin' books," I said, in a rather sharp tone. The desired effect was achieved. They were quiet. Then, this one young man in the back, who likes to throw his arms around me in a hug when he arrives in class, looks up from his desk and says, "Miss, I can't help it, I just love when you get aggressive like that."

Instantly, I deflated. I sighed and smiled. "Not the effect I was going for," I said. As a consolation, when he saw me after the exam, he told me he thought the Regents was easy. "It was just like what you showed us," he said. He's a smart kid and should pass easily. Now if I could just get him to do his homework.