FUN THINGS FOR PROFESSORS ON FIRST DAY OF CLASS

1. Bring a CPR dummy to class and announce that it will be the teaching
assistant for the semester. Assign it an office and office hours.
2. Point the overhead projector at the class. Demand each student's name,
rank, and serial number.
3. Tell students that you'll fail them if they cheat on exams or "fake the
funk".
4. Announce that you need to deliver two lectures that day, and deliver them
in rapid-fire auctioneer style.
5. Pick out random students, ask them questions, and time their responses with
a stop watch. Record their times in your grade book while muttering "tsk, tsk".
6. Wear a hood with one eyehole. Periodically make strange gurgling noises.
7. Sneeze on students in the front row and wipe your nose on your tie.
8. After confirming everyone's names on the roll, thank the class for
attending "Advanced Astrodynamics 690" and mention that yesterday was the last
day to drop.
9. After turning on the overhead projector, clutch your chest and scream "MY
PACEMAKER!"
10. Wear a pointed Kaiser helmet and a monocle and carry a riding crop.
11. Gradually speak softer and softer and then suddenly point to a student and
scream "YOU! WHAT DID I JUST SAY?"
12. Announce to students that their entire grades will be based on a
single-question oral final exam. Imply that this could happen at any moment.
13. Deliver your lecture through a hand puppet. If a student asks you a
question directly, say in a high-pitched voice, "The Professor can't hear you,
you'll have to ask *me*, Winky Willy".
14. Bring a small dog to class. Tell the class he's named "Boogers McGee" and
is your "mascot". Whenever someone asks a question, walk over to the dog and ask
it, "What'll be, McGee?"
15. If someone asks a question, walk silently over to their seat, hand them
your piece of chalk, and ask, "Would YOU like to give the lecture, Mr.
Smartypants?"
16. Every so often, freeze in mid sentence and stare off into space for
several minutes. After a long, awkward silence, resume your sentence and proceed
normally.
17. Wear a "virtual reality" helmet and strange gloves. When someone asks a
question, turn in their direction and make throttling motions with your hands.
18. Wear mirrored sunglasses and speak only in Turkish. Ignore all questions.
19. Ask students to call you "Tinkerbell" or "Surfin' Bird".
20. Pass out dental floss to students and devote the lecture to oral hygiene.
21. Announce that the entire 32-volume Encyclopedia Britannica will be
required reading for your class. Assign a report on Volume 1, Aardvark through
Armenia, for next class.
22. Play "Kumbaya" on the banjo.
23. Have a band waiting in the corner of the room. When anyone asks a
question, have the band start playing and sing an Elvis song.
24. Ask occassional questions, but mutter "as if you gibbering simps would
know" and move on before anyone can answer.
25. Mention in passing that you're wearing rubber underwear.
26. Show a video on medieval torture implements to your calculus class. Giggle
throughout it.
27. Announce "you'll need this", and write the suicide prevention hotline
number on the board.
28. Ask the class to read Jenkins through Johnson of the local phone book by
the next lecture. Vaguely imply that there will be a quiz.
29. Have one of your graduate students sprinkle flower petals ahead of you as
you pace back and forth.
30. Turn off the lights, play a tape of crickets chirping, and begin singing
spirituals.
31. Jog into class, rip the textbook in half, and scream, "Are you pumped? ARE
YOU PUMPED? I CAN'T HEEEEEEAR YOU!"
32. Ask for a volunteer for a demonstration. Ask them to fill out a waiver as
you put on a lead apron and light a blowtorch.
33. Ask students to list their favorite showtunes on a signup sheet. Criticize
their choices and make notes in your grade book.
34. Have a grad student in a black beret pluck at a bass while you lecture.
35. Sprint from the room in a panic if you hear sirens outside.
36. Warn students that they should bring a sack lunch to exams.
37. Refer frequently to students who died while taking your class.
38. Show up to lecture in a ventilated clean suit. Advise students to keep
their distance for their own safety and mutter something about "that bug I
picked up in the field".
39. Begin class by smashing the neck off a bottle of vodka, and announce that
the lecture's over when the bottle's done.
40. Growl constantly and address students as "matey".
41. Devote your math lecture to free verse about your favorite numbers and ask
students to "sit back and groove".
42. Announce that last year's students have almost finished their class
projects.
43. Inform your English class that they need to know Fortran and code all
their essays. Deliver a lecture on output format statements.
44. Wear a feather boa and ask students to call you "Snuggles".
45. Tell your math students that they must do all their work in a base 11
number system. Use a complicated symbol you've named after yourself in place of
the number 10 and threaten to fail students who don't use it.
46. Address students as "worm".
47. Stop in mid-lecture, frown for a moment, and then ask the class whether
your butt looks fat.
48. Claim to be a chicken. Squat, cluck, and produce eggs at irregular
intervals.
49. Give an opening monologue. Take two minute "commercial breaks" every ten
minutes.
50. Of course, the most fun thing to do on the first day of class is to enjoy
yourself, sleep in, and let the students wonder if they found the right room