Professor Sunshine I think that my political science professor is really on to something. She’s young. She’s enthusiastic. I have to believe that she sheds a few tears while watching a particularly good episode of Touched by an Angel. Most importantly, however, she has the unique ability to make certain that everyone feels good about themselves. Essentially, in her eyes, no one is wrong. She often begins discussions with questions like, “Wht is democracy? What does it really mean?” People answer, “Freedom of speech. Equality. Fair elections. T.G. I. Fridays. Fetish porn.” She smiles and nods her head vigorously as she jots every single idea on the chalkboard (because they are all of equal importance). When the class tires of this game, she stops and turns around with a coy smile. Eyebrows raised, she says, “You know what? You’re all right! Every one of you.”  The class takes a collective gasp. Rubbing my eyes in disbelief I wonder, how can this be?? How can there be many answers to one little question? I am not accustomed to this outrageous and unorthodox method of teaching. I am lost in the whirlwind of varied meaning that apparently is upper-education. Please, Professor, give me the rigid black- and-white, true/false, answer choice (c), structure that I so crave.  Professor Sunshine is able to bring this bizarre lack of answer to nearly any situation she is faced with. Following the highly academic definition of democracy, she leaned against her desk and raised her eyebrows as though she was posing for the cover of Sly Teachers Weekly. Preparing us for the next mind-blowing bit of wisdom she asked, “The question is, are there any real democracies in the world?” The class was silent. Perhaps everyone was thinking of the best way to articulate their thoughtful and well-informed responses to this question. Or maybe they were quietly hoping that if ignored, she would give up and continue with overhead notes and simple statistics. Finally, one daring young man raised his hand and inquired, “What do you mean by ‘real’?” Surprised by the need for clarification on such a straight-forward question, Professor Sassypants paused, then with an air of self-satisfaction retorted, “I don’t know. What do I mean by real?” By this time, class was over. Everyone was confused. And I wondered, is this woman a “real” professor? The next lecture involved a discussion on voting patterns related to class, education, age, and location. When she told us that middle-aged citizens were more likely to vote than any other age bracket, someone asked what the actual cut-offs are for “middle-aged”. In her grand tradition of ambiguity, she replied, “I guess… it depends on how you define middle-aged.” If this is indeed the way she would conduct a study, I would very much like to participate. Personally, I define Ohio as part of the Middle-East and myself as a veteran of the Korean War. And I know I’m right. We’re all right.