The Blackboard

I’m not above making a spectacle of myself. Let me give you two examples: One from yesterday and one from 40 years ago.

Yesterday was my first day of class for the semester. I like to get to the room about 10 minutes before class starts to organize my stuff and my thoughts. When I got to the classroom, a dozen of my new classmates were standing outside. I scanned them and asked if anyone had tried the door to see if it was open. One kid replied that they hadn’t, so I said, “I’m going in.”

I opened the door and saw a handful of kids already in the room, so I comically said, “Hi.” (Interesting side story. As I was typing this, I intended to use the word “vocally,” but the spell-checking software turned it into “comically,” and I thought, “What the heck!”). It was then I saw a different professor than I was expecting writing things on the board. I assumed I walked in on the tail end of a class that meets before my class, so I was embarrassed and expecting to get chastised. I sat down and found out the professor was subbing for the one I was expecting, because he was at a conference (Later in the day, the department chair joked that he was on a beach sipping a margarita–a humorous jab). I not only addressed a gaggle of kids waiting to get into the classroom, but I greeted the few students already in the room while a professor quietly wrote on the board. (Another side comment – I feel the need to try to engage these students in conversation because a lot of them will have their faces buried in their phones until the professor starts the class.)

The second story is from 40 years ago. I was teaching an Algebra I class. We had just started learning FOIL (FOIL is the acronym for first, outside, inside, last – the order to multiply the terms of the product of two binomials. Look it up). I had gone through a few examples and one of my brighter students asked if this wasn’t just an application of the distributive property.  He was absolutely correct. To highlight my approval of his insight, I jumped back into my chalkboard. These were the old, heavy, dusty chalkboards that schools used to have. When I hit the chalkboard, it made a loud noise. The teacher from the adjoining classroom rushed over, thinking some calamity may have happened. Each of my students was instantly fully awake and focused on what was going on.

“But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.” - Hebrews 10:32-36 ESV

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.” - Ephesians 5:1-4

I believe God created a sense of humor.  My controlled use of humor, in my opinion, helps me communicate with others. It is much easier to figure out when I’m serious if the person I’m talking to has also seen me be a little silly (from time to time).

You’ve heard the saying…dance like no one is watching!