Never Ask Female Students How They're Doing

I always ask students some simple questions to start class as a warm up exercies. How was your weekend, how are your classes going, stuff like that. Here's how today went:

Female Student: *chuckles randomly*
Professor: What's up?
Female Student: Nothing.
Professor: Come on, let's all laugh together!
Female Student: I just can't understand anything today.
Professor: What's the matter, up all night doing homework?
Female Student: No, just my woman's disease.
Professor: O...kay... How about you, how are you? (to another female student)
Other Female Student: I have lots of problems.
Professor: Is there something I can do, what's the problem? (thinking it's something academic, which of course would be the only appropriate thing for her to mention)
Other Female Student: It's very bad, terrible family problems.
Professor: Okay! let's just get started with class.

Article of the Day

You really can't beat Joh Stossel. Obama's Labor Department vs. Unpaid Interns is right on target.