I am told that people go to Las Vegas to be entertained-that great comedians appear and that one can laugh and laugh and relax and feel good. There is another way one can laugh and become cheered. And this if by teaching seventh graders.

"What does the word E-N-T-R-E-E mean?" I asked one day.

Only Joey raised his hand. "That's someone who has entered a room or something. He enters a room and becomes an entrée. You know, like employment and employee."

**********

"Now," I said to the class on another occasion, "The boat has drifted to an island with Tommy and his sister. What will probably happen next?"

Raul raises his hand and waves it enthusiastically. (This always pleases a teacher.) "Yes, Raul, what do you predict will happen next?"

His eyes gleamed, and he folded his arms on his desk and leaned forward as he stated, "Terrorists will jump out of a plane and take over the island." The class murmurs.

**********

"Turn around, Janie, so that you can listen to me and learn."

Juan says, "She is telling Ben the story of her love life."

Ruben added, "Boy, I'll bet that's short!"

**********

February brought about a discussion of Martin Luther King's dramatic speech given in Washington, D.C.

"All right," I said as I positioned myself in front of the map of the United States, "Martin Luther King is saying, 'Let freedom ring from the hilltops of New Hampshire.' (And I pointed with my hand.). He said, 'Let freedom ring from the mountains of New York! Let freedom ring from the Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania. Let freedom ring from the snow-capped mountains of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.' (At this I pointed to the other side of the map with my other hand.) My voice reached a crescendo. There I was with my arms spread out across the map of our great nation quoting a great man, and all eyes were on me. Suddenly I was Leonard Bernstein at Carnegie hall. Nay, I was a diva at the Metropolitan.

"Why?" I asked the class. "Why?" I urged them, "Why did he use this terminology? What did he mean when he was saying this in his speech?"

Bobby raised his hand and waved it at me. "Yes, Bobby," I responded anxiously, "What do you think he meant?"

"I was wondering, Mrs. Read. Why do some states have curvy lines as boundaries, and some are almost perfect squares?"

I was Rodney Dangerfield on prom night.

**********

"We have now completed the story, students, and we need to discuss possibilities. Now that John has discovered that he can indeed succeed at mountain climbing, what do you think he will do in the future?"

Raul's hand darts up.

"Yes, Raul."

"Terrorists are going to drop out of a plane and take over his home."

**********

"Illiteracy is a problem that plagues our society. Did you know," I asked the students one day, "that there are people out there who are in the 40s, 50s, and 60s who still cannot read? Fortunately, there is an organization here in our city that seeks to help the illiterate folks."

"But Mrs. Read," Jonathan said, "if they are in their 40s, 50s, and 60s, they don't need to learn to read. Why, they're almost dead!"

**********

It was time for my yearly checkup, and the doctor asked the usual questions, "Any problems with ears, nose, throat, muscles, stomach, headaches*."

"Well," I answered as I lay on the examining table, "occasionally I do have a problem that worries me."

"And that is?"

"I worry that terrorists are going to take over the school where I teach-and these terrorists are all short*."