The General and the Sophomore

This is the night when I have the General's class. I refer to him as the General because he is a retired Air Force Major General. We're in the middle of a case study about an air force leadership situation.

There is one particular sophomore in the class who, bless her heart, says the strangest things in class. The things she says would be strange in any course, but she and a retired Air Force Major General really have different styles. This leads for delightful exchanges between the two of them on a very regular basis, as she tends to talk many times each week.

A sample:

General: The test will be available through Sunday night.

Sophomore: I don't want to do it on Sunday.

General: Well, it's available starting Wednesday, so you'll have to get it done before Sunday then.

Sophomore: But Sunday is Jesus's day.

General: Okay, but it's available starting Wednesday, so...uh...it'll be okay.

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Another day:

General: And this is my personal phone number, if you need to get a hold of me.

Sophomore: So can I text you?

General: (long pause) I'm 75 years old. That's something I haven't gotten into.

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Yet another delightful exchange:

General: So, Dr. Cooper [a guest speaker] will be here in on the 30th, so be sure to get the reading done.

Sophomore: Oooo!! Can we throw him a party or something?

General: (long, dismayed pause) No. Let's just...no.

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In her self-introduction to the class:

Sophomore: I want to marry a doctor, and then we're going to start something like Operation Smile, but not Operation Smile because that's dentist, so maybe Operation Feet, but not feet, maybe Operation Legs. Yeah, Operation Legs.

Rest of class: (long, perplexed silence)

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Today, we were looking at a picture of a particular fighter jet. A sample of the conversation:

Sophomore: Is there a reason it's camo?

General: Yes, it's camouflage.

Sophomore: Yeah, but why?

General: (pause) So that people can't see it.

Sophomore: In the air?

General: No, the sky isn't camouflage.

Sophomore: So...

General: The bottom is white.

Sophomore: (puzzled look...It was almost like she was going to point out that the sky was blue, but she didn't.)

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Although I'm not really going to miss this class, she sure has been good for a gem or two each week.