Don't Ask Questions You Don't Want Answered

My students should know better than to ask questions unless they want them answered.

In my English Literature I class, we had group projects yesterday. In between the projects, we have a lull time while the next group sets up. They usually add medieval or renaissance food as part of their cultural projects because they know I'm food obsessive and food means I'm happy...I rock! Well, before the first group set up, I was talking to the class about things in general and I found out from the Clemson students who are taking my class and only my class over at Tech that my class is the hardest class they have ever taken.

Wow. I still can't believe that. I was trying to determine what made it so hard, and I thought maybe it was the amount of reading they had to do. No, they stated, it wasn't the reading because they've had classes that required that much reading. I was trying to determine if some aspect of my teaching the material could make it easier to absorb, and they stated no way, I clarified everything beautifully so they COULD learn it. It was just hard. Well, ok. Then they asked me why I wasn't at Clemson teaching at Tech since I have a degree from Duke. I told them about needing a PhD for a great shot at teaching at a University and how I DID want to get one of the instructorships at Clemson, and what happened there, etc. Ok, so next project started...

In between that one and the last one, we talked again. Somehow, we ended up talking about misplaced ideas on what Southerners do. One of them discussed how people thought beastiality was common here but it never happened. I laughed and told them that my ex was a former prosecutor, then relayed to them a few tales (all of which involved German Sheppards) of actual cases in the upstate. Then I told them about a police officer I had in one class who also discussed once a case in the area involving a German Sheppard. The whole class laughed when I told them how a student asked after the police officer relayed his story, "Why is it always german sheppards? Is that a particularly attractive breed?"

So, another student was also latched onto the German Sheppard idea too, and he asked immediately, "What IS it though about German Sheppards? I mean, why not a poodle?"

Without missing a beat, I deadpanned, "Because the poodle is too small and would rip apart."

His reply was to scream and say, my eyes, my eyes, take the image away! I'm so sorry I asked! I wasn't thinking! Everybody else started laughing hard, and one guy from the back shouted out, "You should know by now that if you ask a question, no matter WHAT it's on, Kira's gonna answer you!"

Yeah. Don't ask questions you don't want answered!