"Ya, Okay!"

Sometimes as a teacher, you can’t stop yourself from laughing at the silliness of the students. Last week I had a ‘moment,’ in which I literally had to stop teaching for about 5 minutes because I couldn’t control my laughter.

I precious student of mine has decided to become extra enthusiastic this quarter. He pays attention, does his work, but, above all, he goes out of his way to make sure that I know he is listening by exclaiming “Ya, okay!” after practically everything I say. His “Ya, okay!” is said really quickly with his thick Samoan accent and almost sounds like a duck quack. It’s hilarious. He says this so often that it’s become a class joke, and I frequently tease him by answering his questions with “Ya, okay!” Last Thursday I was beginning a lesson and explaining the activity ahead of us when my student faithfully blurts out, “Ya, Okay!” Standing in front of the class I just lost and couldn’t stop laughing. I kept trying to start my sentence, but all that came out was laughter. Of course, the kids thought this was pretty great and cracked up, too. When I finally thought that I had composed myself, I look over to the row with Mr. Ya Okay and 2 other sweet kids. The last student in the row has the biggest, cutest baby cheeks I have ever seen and has the face of a 5 year old boy. Just as I begin to talk again, he lets a huge smile come over his face, and I lost it again. For added affect, another “Ya, Okay!” was strategically thrown out.  All in all, I probably couldn’t talk for a solid 5 minutes. Sometimes you just gotta laugh....