Every college professor has their own teaching techniques, but Ryan Ball’s methods are especially unconventional — in the best ways possible. After more than nine years of teaching in the Ross School of Business at The University of Michigan, he found himself challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic. One of these challenges included learning how to use Zoom to teach his students virtually.
Once Ryan had learned the basics, he learned there are quite a few ways to be silly on virtual calls. He showed off what he learned by using a filter to make himself look like a potato. This started off as an April Fool’s prank, but when it came time to welcome his graduate accounting class, he decided the fun didn’t have to end.
Rather than joining class to see Ryan as his usual self, students were welcomed by a potato version who was wearing a party hat and holding sparklers. Upbeat music played, giving Ryan the perfect beat to dance with. Needless to say, he had his students’ attention immediately.
“If you look at the gallery view of it, it’s like 20 students and they’re all dancing,” Ryan told TODAY. “And this is like at 8:00 at night after I talked for like eight and a half hours straight.”
In fact, one student captured the moment on camera. After a while, they captured even more moments in class where Ryan was a potato, all of which social media has thoroughly enjoyed — and I understand why!
It’s such a joy to witness someone find ways to be silly at work. We can take life too seriously, sometimes, so adding in moments of child-like playfulness can truly make a positive difference in our day-to-day lives. In other words, we can all learn a thing or two from Professor Potato — I mean, Professor Ryan Ball!
Watch Ryan in his hilarious potato form in the video below.
You can find the source of this story’s featured image here!
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