Education is serious business. Attempting to reduce it to the equivelent of a sitcom yuk-a-thon is deplorable.

Clear, somber presentation of the facts, unadorned by the trappings of the tireless TV clown, is essential to weening students from their addiction to mental sugar. Unless they are forcefully torn away from the flash, dazzle and hype, they will never learn that information is something that must be dug up in meager quantities at great expense rather than handed to them in the form of a vitamin fortified jelly filled, glazed donut with sprinkles.

Beginning each class with the cold slap in the face and a dose of harsh reality, then delivering the lesson in a dry, "just the facts, mam" monotone, is the only way a responsible teacher should consider.