Rate my professors: My favorites are usually the funny ones

Ratemyprofessors.com, an extremely helpful website to aid in the choosing of professors. It rates them on helpfulness, easiness, clarity, and hotness (awkward?).

I can't pretend I didn't use this site. But let me tell you, I probably didn't use it the way it was intended. When I saw a professor that was rated low, especially on easiness, I knew I'd found the winner. I don't like to be handed A's. I like to earn them because I actually adore learning. And the learning process necessitates hard work. That's just truth people. So when I saw a professor who was difficult, when I saw comments that said the tests were impossible and the assignments were so hard I thought to myself "Jackpot".

Just say it to yourself, I know you want to. Nerd. Don't you feel better now? I did try a couple of times to take classes from those people that were rated high and everyone said was great. Not for me. Although I can say that there have only been 2 teachers at BYU that I have had that I really just generally disliked. Pretty good ratio. I like people I guess.

That being said, here are my favorite professors of all time (though two of them aren't technically "professors" to my knowledge).

1. Greg Tucker
2. Arwen Rogers
3. Lauri Haddock
4. Valerie Hudson
5. J. Spencer Fluhman

1. Greg Tucker is not just a teacher but also a good friend. I took my first and last clogging class from him. And everything in between. I grew up tapping (remember when I freaked out about Savion Glover?) and I didn't know much about clogging. Five years later I love clogging and am adamant on finding a studio so I can keep clogging.

One of the reasons Greg is such a good friend is because after 1 semester of beginning from him, he let me be his TA for beginning clogging while I took intermediate. And for the next couple of years I took and TA'd classes from Greg. One semester I saw him everyday (TA twice a week and taking a class three times a week) and other semesters I would see him for two hours in a row three times a week because of TAing and taking classes. Greg always teased me (also: everybody) about dating. And even though dating teasing is hard to take sometimes when you're just a sad girl, he gave me a lot of good advice that I still think about. He's a great guy and I will really miss being at BYU with him.

Now I can just hope his recommended studio will let me dance with them so I can compete against him. Muahahahaha. 

2. Arwen Rogers was my teacher for "modern marathon". In the quest for a dance degree I took what is called "modern marathon", two modern classes you have to take at the same time with the same section and with the same teacher. I was lucky enough to get Arwen. Now, I'm no modern dance guru and in fact I don't like most of it. But, in this class I learned to love movement, not just modern dance. I loved the fact that Arwen was willing to use all kinds of music (some modern dance teachers are opposed to certain kinds of music which I think to be silly) and all kinds of inspiration in her movement and movement quality. She helped me discover a lot about how I dance and move (my friend Kayleen learned one day that I initiate movement from...well...somewhere unexpected) as well as how to take care of my body. 

It was Arwen's class that made me realize once and for all that I need to eat better. Depending on what time in my life you knew me could determine what you know about my eating habits. But I now love raw vegetables and fruits and just dig eating well. I was amazed at what a difference it made. I vowed to eat the things I should, though I never vowed to cut out things I shouldn't. I am a choco-holic. However, this made me realize that vegetables make me feel better, so I eat them more than I ever used to just because of that! 

3. Lauri, like Greg, is also a good friend. Being her student, her student's peer mentor, and her TA made us pretty close. But not only that she is a great teacher. 

There are tons of stories from her Humanities class that I don't just know word for word but I have applied to lots of situations because I have learned from her to see their bearings on art and the Gospel. I recently had a really interesting discussion on the Priesthood with a friend I made on my folk dance tour and I whipped out this picture and could relate it to the Priesthood. Basically, Lauri as a professor gave me the ability to really see how art history relates to the Gospel. Handel, Michelangelo, Beethoven to name a few artists who I have learned were inspired more than just by a "muse". 

She is also hilarious.

• Did you recognize the world, or did you think it was a love sack? - Prof. Haddock
• You know I've gotta wear it while I can because it's a pumpkin...dress. - Prof. Haddock
• And it was closed so ducks...wouldn't float to Rome. - Prof. Haddock
• Wow. Do not play this while you're driving. Stop sign? Whatever. Was I turning left? Oops. - Prof. Haddock
• I call it foo fa. You can spell it however you like
• I’m crying over cotton? Are you serious!?
• Come on men, give me a beautiful hand, no military hands, only beauty.
• This is one of the most famous shots of him because holy cow try that at home. (Mikhail Barishnykov)
• I think we all know as Kevin Bacon has shown us that you can’t stop people from dancing.
• Yeah! This is Jonah and the whale-dog-dragon.
• He painted him with Satan getting bit in his brotherly parts.
• The heavens had to open and God dropkicked me into graduate school.
• We have this cool thing, who’s the coolest human, other than prophets, apostles and the Savior…and then we go down to Charlton Heston, who played Michelangelo, so it’s a sign.
• You’re not a genius, inventing submarines and propellers and forget the eyebrows. (The Mona Lisa)
• And we will talk about all of the teenage ninja turtles this semester

4. Valerie Hudson. This woman is so amazing that she is on my list of fantastic things at the top of this page. Valerie taught me Introduction to International Politics. I have never really been interested in International Politics. Since taking her class I desperately want a subscription to the New York Times and I love paying attention to world affairs and politics. I got especially interested in the Bosnian Crisis from the 90's and I even cut out the front page the day Ratko Mladic was caught. Little snake.

This woman makes you think about things differently. She's an extremely intellectual woman, she consults the government in international politics and security (apparently once she played this national security game for them and she got to play Israel! She loved it), she was in the military in some fashion (she jumped out of planes? I forget), and she's a Mormon with a lot of kids, I want to say 10 but I can't remember. She also runs a women's study. She has a couple of really interesting things to say about women and the priesthood and polygamy (the polygamy podcast especially gave me an intellectual charge, especially as I happen to be studying D&C 132).

I love taking notes and love reviewing them but I loved it even more in that class. I don't think I've ever taken as many notes as I did in that class.

She's also hilarious. But I truly think you can't be that accomplished without being funny. Humor gets you through life right?

• North Korea as you know is a very strange country
• Terrorists are not the most stable characters. They get kind of angry
• This isn’t Reader’s Digest version of Marx, Lenin and Mao, this is like the Twitter version of Marx, Lenin and Mao.
• I’m sure a lot of foreign policy makers wish the Balkans would disappear.
• Let’s just say Italy’s got problems and one of them is the zipper of their Prime Minister’s pants.
• We’ll find out truth after we die. Which doesn’t help you much because you have a midterm next week.
• You’re dumb, keep buying under-priced Chinese goods please.
• Thought it was maybe a…text message from God.
• You rotten unipolar empirical hegemon you.
• Now I don’t want you to say I think President Faust is full of it because that’s…not true. 

5. J. Spencer Fluhman. Okay so I said they are in no particular order but this man is definitely number 1. When I got to BYU Brother Fluhman was in the religion department teaching the first two parts of Church History, both halves of Doctrine and Covenants, and American Christianity. As I progressed in the history program he began to teach Utah History and he is now teaching in the History Department, also teaching American History. Now, this is probably one of the reasons I dig this man so much. He did his academic work in history and he always took a historical approach, especially to the Doctrine and Covenants.

When it comes to religion classes, the more academic they are the better.  You want an academic religion class? You go to Brother Fluhman. Sadly I only got to take the first half of the Doctrine and Covenants from him so I'll never know what he has to say on the second half. What a loss!

You can tell how much I loved this man because I took nearly every single class possible from him. First half of D&C, two Church History's, American Christianity (HOLY cow that class was amazing, I could write an entire blog post just on it, easy), and Utah History. So I was only missing the second half of D&C, his classes were kind of like Pokemon for me. Gotta catch 'em all. But then he switched to the History Department and started teaching American History classes that I had already taken! It was like a nightmare. It was now impossible for me to take them all. And the whole graduating thing. Yeah. 

The best part of taking his classes was the point when he recognized me. It was probably my lunch box that did it (a High School Musical lunchbox isn't terribly popular on a college campus). But I don't mind. The fact that he knew my name and said hi to me when he saw me on campus, I felt awesome about that. It probably also helped that I tried to TA for him at least twice...I'm kind of annoying like that. And now that he has written an awesome op-ed in the NYT (my fav newspaper remember?) I can brag that he was my professor.  He also has a book coming out that I definitely need to pre-order. He is also included in my list of fantastic things up at the top. 

He's also hilarious. I'll include some of his awesome quotes, though I don't want to embarrass him. I know he wants what is said about him on the internet to not be taken out of context. 

• Caught it, jungle cat reflexes on this one.
• An Arch-bishop by the name of I can’t remember.
• I don’t care who you are that cheese sandwich thing is fun. (this quote actually is quite similar to something my favorite seminary teacher Brother Rees would say. I just know they would be BFF)
• Too much sports! That doesn’t make any sense to me, it’s like too much joy, I have too much joy.
• They wear belt buckles on their hats, we don’t know why.
• I’m tired of reaching, I’ve got lasers.
• If you are a public figure and you have done wrong, you best get yourself on Oprah. You’re kind of kidding and I’m kind of not. (he was talking, I think, about this book)
• You didn’t have class Tuesday what did you do? Cry?
• Puritans wouldn’t relax. In fact that’s the truest thing I’ve said all year.
• And plus the fact that I’m boundlessly curious and must know everything.
• I will grant that the charts were many and furious in their presentation.
• This is completely voluntary you do not need to participate. But you need to participate.(talking about his March Madness bracket)
• We learn several things, white people should not incorporate reggae calypso into their worship.
• In a fit of joy and insight your brain will explode.
• What do you do? I re-enact Senate hearings, from the early 20^th century.
• In fact the metal folding chair is a deeply Mormon phenomenon.
• The academic advisor emailed me, professors let’s chat…let’s talk…[Jimmer’s] a little busy.
• I’m so thrilled with your comment I can’t stand myself!
• I think I will write a poem at some point to begin this lecture. “Ode to the Beaver”
• Ute Indians. History. Shazam!
• Did you notice I like maps? I’m madly in love with maps
• The 1850’s are fun, you can’t say the 1850’s aren’t fun.
• The only people on earth who love Fillmore are Mormons.
• In fact, we oughta make t-shirts! Mormons <3 fillmore="fillmore">
• You’ve signed an Honor code *mimes throwing our tests to us* live it!
• Okay, reading and writing cancelled. Is this a course or a party?.
• I keep telling people it’s ironic and they just look at me…stupid intellectual.
• Booyah. That’s point Fluhman there.
• Holy cow woman can write. Home girl can WRITE.
• Is it frightening when you read the board and you don’t know if it’s a foreign language or science?
• Let’s hug it out. Catholic/Mormon hug right now. We actually did hug.
• -snaps his fingers- What’s my fancy word?
• Okay, our break. To the Dorito machines O Israel!
• Cow are big. Take that from a suburbanite, I’ve seen a few and they’re big.
• Houston had a problem…I didn’t even mean that. Accidentally awesome.
• Hell hath no fury like an offended duck.
• Lucky for us, our daughters practice their smiles in the mirror.
• You don’t know Helen Whitney? Read a book!
• We had a big trophy. It melted in my brother’s car.
• Lynette you lost something, rolled somewhere over there. Lip gloss? Super glue? Nitroglycerin?
• Hardline this semester! I don’t know what that means, I don’t know what hardline means. Please don’t text?
• Let’s play a game, try to name a band that I’ve ever heard of in my life. .. ‘Modest Mouse’…Never. Never in my life. … ‘student names others’ … Nothing. I got nothing.
• So everyone’s offended, just hold on!
• I love the joy, love the friendship. Make it stop
• We’ve got ample evidence that they just sang how they wanted…..to…?
• Check this out for enlightenment, perspectives on a massacre.
• Kinda sad that name went out, Ziba. It’s got a ring to it. Somebody should bring it back, I dare you.
• We’re a runaway train, of joy and revelation. We’re flying
• Like 5 of us and Terrell Gibbons and my mind melting because he’s so smart
• …because it will melt your brain, in a good way. (talking about The Science of Theology by Parley P. Pratt)
• *girl walks in* oops, wrong class. Bro Fluhman-you’re missing out, that’s all we’re going to say
• I love it when Protestant pastors drop by
• Adorable. Almost as cute as a human (commenting on a student’s new puppy)
• You were introduced to the Shaker’s by me, my article with the creepy picture of me in the middle. Admit it! You didn’t want to look at it but you couldn’t look away!
• Going once, going twice? Ignored!
• This is kind of a downer. Someone sing a song or something.
• I just teach my classes…and garden.
• The only other tab you can have open is that picture of me from the Shaker article to scare you into submission.
• Section 76 of the Doctrine and Covenants. A big whoop.