"Rather foolishly, perhaps, I said, 'Yeah. Why not? It sounds like fun,'" Kernighan says. "I hadn't realized how much work it was [going to be], but boy, is it fun."

"I'm glad I'm not doing all the things that a regular professor has to do," Kernighan says.

Although Kernighan says he underestimated how much time would go into the class, students and TFs agree that Kernighan does not let the demands of the job deter his enthusiasm.

"His enthusiasm is really infectious," says Ping Tjin Thum '00, a student in the class.

"I think he's really good, really funny and he's taking the job really seriously," says TF Mike Walfish '98. "I think that he is a great teacher."

Students say they are amazed at his ability to maintain his level of enthusiasm for such a large lecture class.

"It's hard to put a finger on it because it's not as though he has some formula for what he does, he's just a very charming guy and stays that way before a class of 400," says Samuel J. Klein '99.

Kernighan has also won over students with various antics ranging from cutting off part of his beard while following commands from his class to having candy thrown out to the audience for asking and answering questions.

Students and TFs praise Kernighan for not being afraid to admit his mistakes.

"He's very close to the subject matter," says Yuval Segal '97, a CS 50 TF. "[But he's] not afraid to admit that he doesn't know certain things."

"If he makes a mistake, he'll laugh at himself," Thum says. "He shows he's very human like the rest of us and making mistakes in [his] code will be inevitable so we all feel much better about that."

Kernighan does not let the mistakes slow him down, students say.

"He never loses himself when he makes a slip," says CS 50 student Samuel Klein.

Packed Lectures

Students say Kernighan's enthusiasm has played a major role in keeping the lecture hall full despite the class' 10 a.m. slot on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays.