Organisms (Minus The "-ni-")

(Disclaimer: I've accepted a challenge to write a post per day on my blog. The writing prompt for today is to discuss a school memory.)

In seventh grade, Mrs. Buchanan had a substitute teacher for her science class. We all had to go around the room and read paragraphs in our textbook. Eventually, we ran out of students to read, so the substitute read the text herself.

When the word "organisms" came up (of which there were quite a few occurrences), the substitute teacher pronounced the word "orgasms."

I don't think I knew, in seventh grade, exactly what an orgasm was, but I knew it was sexually, and I knew it was not "organisms."

I remember that one other kid caught the error, and we kept looking at each other every time she said it. Which, inevitably, made us laugh so hard that the teacher asked us what was funny. (But she continued to pronounce the word as "orgasm." Repeatedly.)

Eventually, she sent me out into the hallway. Of course, as a shy, goody-goody kid, I was horrified. Nonetheless, when she finally came out into the hallway to reprimand me, I was still laughing. Pretty sure I peed a little.

I couldn't bring myself to tell her why I was laughing so hard. I didn't even try to lie and make up an excuse.

For me, "organisms" = "orgasms." Always.