My Funny Class

I've got an excellent Freshman Comp class this semester -- they can most of them write, and, not only that, even though it meets at 9:00 in the morning, they are all awake and alert and responsive almost all the time, which, for a composition class, can I just say? Yikes.

Anyway. We've started work on style and grammar issues, and today I put this sentence on the board, demonstrating the proper use of a semi-colon: "Mick likes to watch House; Earl prefers to spend his evenings reading."

"What's House?" one student asked. "Is that a movie?"

I cast my eye upon her in mock horror. "You don't know from House? Barbarian!"

"I watch House," my guy in the corner assured me. "Well, I watched it once. He's that smart-ass, right? I mean," he said, when the class busted up laughing. "The smart doctor?"

"Right," I agreed. "Some of you watch House?"

Nine or ten students raised their hands. The smart girl in the front row assured me, "I like it because he's so rude."

"Oh, yeah," I said. "He's totally dysfunctional. The kid and I watch it together. Dr. House is her imaginary friend now. He follows her around whacking people with his cane."

"So it's a medical show?" a kid in the back asked.

"Tuesday nights," I agreed. "Seven o'clock."

"Oh. I can't watch it then. Dancing With the Stars."