psst

[chatter chatter chatter]

PSST

[chatter chatter]

PSST! 

But –

Psst.  

But I –

I got a whole pocket full of PSST just for you.

It’s my favorite way ever to shut down the noise.  The chatter.  The incessant wah-wah-wah when I.am.trying.to.speak.

The students who simply won’t settle down for reading group.  The kids when they’re rolling at a hundred miles an hour and don’t hear a word I’m saying.  The adults who bully their way through a meeting – just kidding.  That pocket full of psst comes out loud and clear, but only in my head.  Maybe someday, though…

I find the psst most effective when it’s short.  Sharp.  Explosive almost.  Usually accompanied by a quick snapping shut of two fingers and a thumb.  BOOM.  Time to Shut That Mouth.

Yeah.  Sometimes it’s like that.

Linda’s stream of consciousness prompt is a weekly blog event.  This week’s prompt is “psst, or any other attention-getting noise or word.”