Just Your Average 68-Year-Old College Freshman.
We used the formal sign-in sheet but he decided to call attendance anyway. After each name he asked, “Are you happy?”
It was completely adlibbed—he skipped a few students then came back to include us all. “Ms. Name, are you happy? How about you, Mr. Name, are you a happy man?”
The first students were caught by surprise and answered yes (admitting sadness in this classroom would seem like admitting a STD). But as the professor continued down the roster, things took a turn toward Oprah. Several students weren’t quite sure about their happiness and a few confided that they weren’t at all that happy.
One young woman was “Ecstatic!” I plan to sit next to her the rest of the semester.
