Classroom Entertainment: Learning to Laugh

Jonathan Seltzer Staff Wrtier

Have you ever been stuck in a seemingly never-ending class that droned on and on? Perhaps you felt the need to break up time with something to keep you entertained. One’s attention span only lasts for so long in a class that spans for an hour and twenty minutes or even longer. Different students break up class in different ways.

Some students choose to send text messages to their friends on their cell phones against the professor’s wishes. Others may stare at the clock, take water fountain breaks, or look out the window in between taking notes. While this may be true for some, others prefer remaining fully attentive for the duration of the entire class.

Sometimes, professors can keep class fun and interesting. “I like professors who keep the class lively and engaged. When they make some jokes here and there it brings the class back to life and keeps everyone more focused,” said Alex Marreo, a sophomore Criminal Justice major. Merreo shared a humorous anecdote that took place with one of his professors. Once, his professor was in the middle of a lec- ture and his phone went off with an extremely high pitch ring. The ringtone scared him and he screamed a loud obscenity.

Another student also commented on entertaining tales from sitting in some of these long, drawn out lectures. Emily Smith, a freshman Sociology major, told of a humorous event in her sociology class. “At least half of the guys were wearing diamond stud earrings. For the entire class our professor referred to the men as people who raided their mother’s jewelry boxes.”

Justin Romano, a freshman Radiology major, said, “One of my professors sat on a desk and fell over. Thankfully she was not hurt, but everyone including the professor had a good laugh over it.”

While certain students had comical classroom accounts to speak of, others did not. Alexa Dunetz, a junior Political Science major said, “It’s been a really uneventful semester. Nothing all that funny has happened. I have been so preoccupied with my studies and my work as a political coordinator that I haven’t had time to pay attention to many other areas.”

One comical moment I recall during my time at LIU Post is an intersession class I enrolled in several semesters ago. The professor left the room for a brief moment to grab several assignments to return to the class. Upon her leaving the room, I played ‘One More Time’ by Daft Punk at full volume, which resulted in song and laughter.

Not all students take note of their surroundings during a class period. However, it is important to keep it fun. A lively class is a productive class, as Maerro stated.