I've mentioned the positive role that humor can play in the classroom before, citing research that advocates taking a "Patch Adams" approach to learning. But yesterday I made a comment in class that somehow made me break out in a fit of laughter -- one I was unable to stop -- a virtual gelastic seizure -- which only got worse and worse as it went on.

The students laughed along with me. Sharing a good laugh can be a great icebreaker in a class. But in this rare instance, I could palpably feel that my laughter was going on for too long. And I couldn't stop it while the students began to give each other those "what the heck is up with this guy" sort of looks.

Although I do often laugh during class discussions -- and I'm a big advocate for using humor in public speaking and getting students to laugh away their stress or discomfort -- I felt I'd done something really embarrassing when I broke into uncontrollable laughter at something relatively banal and silly I'd said. I had to cover my face and wait it out before I could even look the students in the eyes any more. Then, blushing, I moved right along....

I don't think I'm weird or alone in this regard. It happens; we're human. The mask of professionalism sometimes slips off the nosey. And it's not just laughing fits: there are plenty of experiences that I bet every teacher can share about "losing it" in front of a class of open-mouthed students. Whether breaking into tears, drifting off into a dreamworld, going off on a personal narrative, or bursting out with a comment that's just a little too loud or hostile -- the unconscious and the emotions sometimes take command. It's natural.

Or in my case, maybe it's the sign of a tumor, brain damage...or perhaps I'm just the next victim in another laughter epidemic .

But seriously: what do you do when you "lose it"? How can you "recover"? I don't have the time this morning to do a lot of research on this, but common sense tells me that when this happens, you need something to "snap" you out of it, and so anything you can do to break away physically can help. You take a moment to catch your breath. You make an excuse to turn away and work on the blackboard. Or walk over to the side of the room and open a window. You can use tactics to get yourself to just start moving right along and put the moment behind you: If you've got a book open, turn the page. Or move to the next point in your lecture notes. Or click to the next Powerpoint slide. The shift in topic will get you out of your funk. To make a more radical break, step out of lecture mode and get the students to do some sort of group work. I've been thinking of this issue as relatively tame and sporadic, but if your fit is violent or severe or recurring in a patterened way --- and thank god I've never had this experience -- you probably need to let the students out early or give them an in-class writing assignment and then go talk to someone, immediately, about the experience.

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