first day of class

It's always nerve-wracking, but this year's crop of freshmen seem a little more lively, more curious, maybe even more involved in their own education than last year's. In my class I ask, on the first day, what their favorite book is; a few always come up:

Great Gatsby
Watership Down
Catcher in the Rye
Harry Potter
John Grisham books
pop philosophy (Seven People You Meet in Heaven/Tuesdays with Morrie/etc)

and there's always one Ayn Rand-er in the class. I can make a fairly accurate prediction of how well the class will go, though, by counting the number of kids who say "I don't have a favorite book, I don't really read" or some variety of that. Generally, over 15% means the class will be a struggle. This year's class: 0%. Damn!

Of course, I might have skewed the sample by starting out the class by telling them at the start of class that Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham has proudly stated that she's never read a book, and speculating that this might have something to do with her recently-expressed admiration for Tom Cruise.

Yes, celebrity gossip. That's what freshman comp has become these days.