“In Elementary School I had this one teacher who when she would have to leave the classroom, she’d pick a random kid to stand at the chalkboard and watch the class. No one was allowed to talk or get up until the teacher came back. To be honest, my class was pretty rowdy, and given the chance we could get really loud. Which is why the teacher didn’t want us talking if she was gone. If you talked or got up, your name went on the board and you’d lose five minutes of recess. Then tally marks would be added if you talked or got up again, and you’d lose an additional five minutes, and if you got enough you’d start losing time on the next day’s recess.

One day she picked this one kid, we’ll call him Cole. Cole gets up there and he’s slowly looking back and forth between each of us, and if he thought someone was going to talk, he’d put their name on the board. They didn’t have to do anything, and he’d put their name on the board and cost them five minutes of recess. He then offered those with their names on the board that he’d take their name off before the teacher got back if they held their breath until he said they could breathe.” – GWF_1987