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My Professor's pants
To make a point about his subject, my professor took off his pants on the first day of class. He was wearing shorts and a gym shirt underneath his clothes, but it was still a little more than anyone in the lecture hall was expecting. This might seem highly unusual, but after the first day of class was over I felt that everything about him was a typical example of how different professors are from the teachers I had in high school. First, he started the class by explaining his tight grading policy. He has very little tolerance for excuses. I have experienced little-to-no coddling from him or any other professor. They are quickly annoyed with whiners and those who expect easy A's, grade rounding, last-minute bonus points or acceptance for a late paper. Like most professors, he handed out a detailed syllabus. These have much more meaning than any type of high-school equivalent. Some assignments are mentioned on the syllabus but are never spoken about in class. Since they are loaded with useful information, the syllabus can usually answer any initial questions I have about the course. Along with his class structure being normal for college, this professor has studied in Europe. He alluded to the fact that he has extensive graduate school experience and multiple degrees. This is typical. The college that I attend, being a very large university, has professors that are well educated and well researched. They are brilliant. They have studied around the world. They often speak multiple languages. They are the authors of important books. Some have even written their own textbooks for the class they teach. Occasionally, I am under the impression that one of my professors views teaching at the university as a little side job compared with the research he is performing. I do feel this professor and most others are good teachers. However, another typical professor trait he displayed was an eccentricity when it comes to teaching. He wanted to teach about the message our clothing sends out. After some deep thought, he decided that best approach would be to wear a second outfit to class, and then take off his shirt, tie and pants in front of approximately 200 students. Others have told me about professors jumping off desks or collapsing on the floor to explain a point. I have witnessed a theatre professor stage a fight and pretend to smash a student’s cellphone. Professors are not high school teachers but rather much more. They are concocted from two parts genius, one part peculiar, one-third cup flour and three eggs. They brilliantly guide you along your college journey and stuff your brain with knowledge until it looks like a force-flex trash bag about to burst if you don't double bag it. And sometimes they do it without pants.
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