Some professors shared a few memorable classroom moments

Some professors shared a few memorable classroom moments

Louis Gialloreto

I fell in a classroom and dislocated a shoulder — in the middle of end-of-term class presentations. Students patiently waited during what was an extended class break while I journeyed up the hill to have said appendage re-inserted and returned to hear the balance of presentations, showing the dedication of the McGill student. Once it was established that this event would not be life threatening, there were lots of amused peals of laughter from all concerned — the floors had been freshly waxed, unbeknown to me.

Amparo Garavito

The oral presentations that the students give at the end of the course have been so ingenious, funny and well-expressed that it is very rewarding for me. For example, in one class, two students acted as people who met through a chatroom on the internet and went to meet each other in a restaurant. It had excellent acting, great humor and their Spanish was impressive. Another example was of a very elegant and charming lady wearing a Texaco mechanic uniform acting with a tall, handsome man wearing a huge curly wig, black glasses and a leather jacket. They presented a very funny skit where the mechanic had to fix the man's tricycle. All the students were laughing their heads off and cheering.

Peter Gibian

I will always remember the time I had to finish a lecture before 500 students in Fieldhouse Auditorium while holding my 3-year-old daughter Rebecca in one arm. (And it is amazing how many times I run into former students who tell me they have a strong memory of that class day.) Because she suddenly felt sick on a morning when my wife was out of town, I brought Rebecca to my office and then to the lecture hall with me. There was an audible gasp — followed by hundreds of whispers, "Oh she's so CUUUTE" — as we walked out on the stage, and I began to wonder if I had made a huge mistake. But Rebecca didn't seem too concerned, so I sat her down with a TA and some snacks and started in on Huckleberry Finn. Halfway through the talk, though, I felt a tug at my trousers and leaned down to see that Rebecca had wandered up to the podium. "More chips!" she said loudly, into the sensitive hall microphone. So I picked her up and just continued my talk. All the time I was discussing the distinctions between literate and illiterate characters, I was worried that Rebecca would break out into a rousing rendition of her new-learned song about the A,B,Cs. When my wife got home and heard the story, she was mainly concerned to know whether I had remembered to put Rebecca in a clean dress and brush her hair. I bet I hadn't.