For you teachers out there…

When I first started this blog a few months back the intent was to share the humor that can be found in everyday situations (even in situations that are on the surface not necessarily positive). Still the intent of the blog. Unfortunately the state of my life at the moment is such that I don’t actually face a lot of new situations. When you rarely actually visit the world it makes for a lack of fresh input ABOUT the world. So I have to resort to memory or vicariously living through others.

Which presents a different set of difficulties. For one my current recluse status means I don’t really have a social life either (at least offline). Scratch living vicariously through others! And my memory is one mischievous little bugger! Have you ever had someone ask you a question you know the answer to, but the mere fact that they asked drives the answer right out of your head? That is how mind works every time I actively try to remember something!

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But a curse and wonder of the modern communications is friends can still be found. Or even if not friends one can still live vicariously through others! Inspiration can always be found! A conversation with one of my other-side-of-the-world friends reminded me of some of the tricks my dad used to play on his students. Yep dad was a bit mischievous. So to help keep the dad that was alive in memory as he sadly slowly fades away, I will just have to live my life vicariously through HIM for a moment.

I never actually took a class with dad. I know he loved to teach, but he had absolutely no patience for someone who did not know how to think for themselves. He had no problem with students that tried but just couldn’t get it. But a big problem with those who did not bother trying, or wanted to be told exactly what to do. So he would subtly mess with them (and some wonder where I get MY irreverent nature).

For instance he would put "extra credit" options on his exams. Options such as: "There is a medical kit under your seat. Perform a frontal lobotomy on the person next to you."

It was amazing how many students simply did not know what to do with this.

Once I told him about a trick another prof had used and he did the same. Basically he posted several pictures (one being himself) and asked the students which one was their teacher.

My personal favorite though was what he would sometimes do to a student that fell asleep in class. He and the rest of the students would quietly leave the room and finish the class in another room entirely!

Seems to me that if more teachers behaved like that people might actually begin to learn how to think again!

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