Pablo Neruda once said, “Laughter is the language of the soul.” Right? We weren’t there, and we can’t speak Spanish. We’re really relying on the Internet for this one. And the Simpsons. And why would the Simpsons lie?

So let’s get soulful, because our minds and bodies probably need a break. Here are a few funny odds and ends that might speak to you as a GA/TA:

• Those innovative listers over at BuzzFeed curated a pretty awesome collection of funny teacher moments last spring called 33 Teachers Who Got The Last Laugh. To be clear, we’re not endorsing any of the teaching techniques you’ll find there as pedagogically sound, but don’t tell us you never thought about spelling out Lady Gaga lyrics using elements in the periodic table.
• Surviving the World’s advice on Academic Bribes flies in the face of everything we know about assessment and best practices. It’s also quite funny. Beware the compliment givers.
• Sometimes you’d rather think about a fictional school in your favourite piece of literature than anything to do with real life (e.g., grading papers, writing papers, understanding the marks you gave/received on papers, etc.). Well, did you know that Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry has its own RateMyProfessors page? As you may expect, the ratings are rather tongue-in-cheek. If you’re into that, you might also want to check out the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning.

We’re now at 24 days and counting. Happy Friday!