In my first class today, a kid who now sits in the back maintained a pretty steady eye contact the whole time I was talking (which was more today than usual — almost half the class period). And he was smiling.
Grinning.
He’s not usually morose or anything, but I have never seen such a delighted look on his face.
My first and recurring thought was “Do I have something on my face?” I was worried that he was, for whatever reasons, kind of laughing at me.
And then I realized I don’t care. He’s a sixteen-year-old kid. If he chooses to laugh at me, well, bless him for laughing. It’s good for him to wear that smile.
I hope they’ll all wear the silly smile this semester.