What was NOT true about the professor?

Perhaps the most vital person I have ever met is an Italian professor of philosophy who teaches at the University of Pisa. Although I last met this man eight years ago, I have not forgotten his special qualities. First of all, I was impressed by his devotion to teaching. Because his lectures were always well prepared and clearly delivered, students swarmed into his classroom. His followers appreciated the fact that he believed in what he taught and that he was intellectually stimulating. Furthermore, he could be counted on to explain his ideas in an imaginative way, introducing such aids to understanding as paintings, recordings, pieces of sculpture, and guest lectures. Once he even sang a song in class to illustrate a point. Second, I admired the fact that he would confer with students outside of the classroom or talk with them on the telephone. Drinking coffee in the snack bar, he would challenge a student to a game of chess. At other times, he could join group to discuss subjects ranging from astronomy to scuba diving. Many young people visited him in his office for academic advice; others came to his room for social evenings. Finally, I was attracted by his lively wit. He believed that no class hour is a success unless the students and the professor share several chuckles and at least one loud laugh. Through his sense of humor, he made learning more enjoyable and more lasting. If it is true that life makes a wise man smile and a foolish man cry, then my friend is truly a wise man. Probably the best example of his wit is this bit of wisdom with which he once ended a lecture: "It is as dangerous for man to model himself upon his invention, the machine, as it would be for God to model Himself upon His invention".