At the undergraduate level, it’s definitely been more enjoyable having classes with humorous professors. (Whether they actually are humorous or simply attempt to be is left up for debate).

Jacob Gershman writes for the Wall Street Journal:

Law School Should be Funnier, Says Professor

Law Blog began the week highlighting a new law review essay about the perils of fear-based instruction. Some teachers, writer argued, cause students unnecessary stress by filling their lectures with cautionary tales about blundering lawyers.

Another upcoming paper — appearing in the Saint Louis University Law Journal — suggests another tool that educators can use to connect with their students: humor.

Stephen F. Reed, a clinical law professor at Northwestern University School of Law, says professors shouldn’t underestimate the pedagogical power of laughter.

“[H]umor can have value in creating a lively classroom environment in which students are ready to learn, and in its best forms can help faculty accomplish their pedagogical goals,” Mr. Reed writes.

He directs his argument particularly at instructors unaccustomed to the lighter side of law. Everyone, he says, can find their funny bone.

If you have ever noticed something offbeat in a case or chuckled at the folly in some legal doctrine, you have the capacity to bring humor to the classroom. Heck, if you’ve ever laughed anywhere at anything in your life then you have that capacity – all it takes is an openness to funny or unusual ideas and a willingness to share them with others.