Warning: Nostalgia Ahead

Okay, don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Sitting here on the third floor veranda of my lovely community college, at one of the quaint little tables, just blogging away, watching the people below as they walk to and from their final exams. That is about to be me. In fact, several of my finals are already done. Now I only have two left… sigh.

Oh drat, some people just invaded my quiet space. With crinkly food wrappers, and murmurs of conversation. Slightly disruptive to my dreamy, nostalgic mood, but oh well.

I cannot believe the semester is finally over! A couple classes I am just glad are finally done and passed. A couple classes will cause me to truly feel like there is an emptiness next Tuesday/Thursday, when I don’t have them anymore. Grade-wise, I can’t go back, what’s done is done. But emotions-wise, I most definitely can go back and reminisce. So, here is a list of highlights from this past semester.

First day of the semester.

Trying to run around campus, figuring out where classes are and still get there on time.

Seeing a friendly, familiar face in algebra was great! And Mrs. Owl was so friendly, and she made algebra (algebra!!!) easy to understand!

Walking into public speaking for the first time… ooooh, that is memorable alright. At first I was raising my eyebrows at Mr. Incredible Irishman, because to a gal who came from a home where “crap” is considered a bad word potentially worthy of punishment, he seemed to swear every other word! Culture shock to little home schooled chick? Eh, maybe 🙂 But I quickly grew to enjoy that class… Which, if you see the number of times I have tagged that teacher in my blog, that became, & has continued to be, my favorite class.

Geography was interesting from the first. I already knew Mr. Everlasting, and he is one of the most amazing people I know. He has written a book on the history of my hometown, he has worked for so many important committees I can’t even list them. He knows so much about essentially everything! He has a tendency to jump from topic to topic, but… wow… He is just a fantastic person, and a pretty darn interesting teacher. As soon as class was over he came over to ask me how my family was doing, how I was, and to let me know if I ever needed anything, to let him know. Such a wonderful, kind man.

Sociology… Not bad, but only fine. No really great first-day memories there.

Biology. My last class. The one I had the most trouble finding. But has it ever been great! Being able to ask all of my questions, and get answers, has just been such a novel thing! 🙂 My teacher, Ms. Field, made even the confusing things at the cellular level comprehensible. I loved this class from day 1.

Well, I have to go take my geography final. Perhaps I shall continue down memory lane later.

College Incognito

If you would care to comment, do you remember one of your most fond “first-day-of-(any level of schooling, a new job, or heck, even being married 😉 )” memory? Talk about it! 🙂

The Time is an Oxymoron

The time is growing short.

How does time, or really anything for that matter, grow short? It’s either growing, or it’s becoming short. Most would say growing short infers shrinking. But shrinking is the opposite of growing! Now I can no longer say the phrase “growing short” because it causes me to go down a philosophical rabbit hole, and like Alice’s rabbit hole, things get really bizarre the deeper you go.

All that to say, I suppose my time is shrinking.

Not as in my life as  a whole, though, of course that is true — every second anyone breathes brings him or her closer to the end of their life, which is morbid and dark thinking and I am not going to entertain that idea right now. La la la, happy thoughts, happy thoughts. Gary Larson Far Side cartoons, big bouquets of flowers,  and early morning bike rides on back roads. 🙂

What I mean is my time as a student, in my first full-time semester at the community college. As of today, I have only six days of class left. And that scares me. Sitting in the same seat, in the same classes, seeing the same faces each Tuesday and Thursday — it is safe and familiar. And all my teachers have been so wonderful.

My algebra teacher, Ms. Owl, has somehow explained math so I can understand it, and even make an A overall in algebra. Algebra! She takes the time to make small talk with her students, and also has a patience for redundant questions and thick-headed people that inspires me.

My biology teacher, Dr. Field, has taken the time to answer all my questions, even questions that don’t have to do with the study material. She makes biology manageable,  sometimes even understandable! She explains what she expects of us as students, and I feel a kindred spirit in her class because of her love for science, and my own interest in the subject. She is definitely someone I look up to, from the way she carries herself, to the way she is kind, to the way she loves her work, and the way she cares for people — the way she cares for us students. She has been incredible.

Mr. Everlasting, my geography teacher, has been working at my community college for decades now. He taught my one of my aunts, several of my older friends, and I myself love him so much I have taken him for geography after already taking History 1301 with him a few semesters back. He makes sure “the students of America” which is his name for all of us, have every opportunity to succeed. He is beyond fair, and he really cares about everyone’s life. For instance, my 56yr grandmother, whose breast cancer has metastasized recently, now has limited time (on this earth in general, not just as a student) left. She had taken Mr. Everlasting’s history class at the same time I did, so he knows her and knows who she is to me. He now visits her just to see how she is doing. All because he cares. He has mentioned multiple times how he wants to help me get scholarships, and any time I need any help, to let him know.

Mr. Newbie is my sociology teacher, and this is his first semester teaching at MCC. My class are his guinea pigs, in a way. And I am glad to have been so. He is generous with providing the power-points, materials, and study guides he uses in class, so that we are fully prepared for the exams. Though sometimes he tends to read directly from the slides of his power-point, he encourages class discussion and is a really good guy.

However, the best for last, my favorite teacher, is  Mr. Incredible-Irishman. He is my public speaking teacher, and his is the class I am most reluctant to leave. In all honesty, the thought of only being his student a mere 6 more class days, makes me want to shrink inside myself, turn back the clock, and do this semester over. I do not understand why, but I feel like I just “belong” when I’m in his class. He makes me feel respected and valued, as a student and as a person. I wish I could find the words to tell him how much he means to me, for giving that value and respect to me.

He wants all of his students to know that though they might think this speech class is just another hoop to jump through on the way to their careers, having good communication skills will greatly benefit them. It is obvious in his teaching method, his personality, and him in general, how much he hopes for his students to do great things. He encourages us to change the world and stand up for what we believe. He is tough, but fair. His criticism is always constructive — never demeaning. I think these are reasons I admire Mr. Incredible-Irishman so much.

In a way, I see him almost as a father-figure, though of course he doesn’t know it. Because of the failures of my own dad, I am always searching to see if there are any real men in the world who are truly worthy of my highest respect. Finding that sort of amazing man in my 9:30 class every morning, rain or wind or shine, or whether the Texas Rangers had won the game the night before or not, is more impacting to me than I can fully explain. How he is willing to give his all for the good of his students, yet still holding each accountable to their actions, means so much to me. If I weren’t the introvert that I am, maybe I could tell him how much I appreciate him.

Instead, all I can do is hope is to practice till my throat is hoarse, so I can give my final presentations in such an amazing way that he will be proud of me, and that in some small way, he will know that part of the reason I try so hard, is to let him know his teaching, and he himself, has made an impact on me, and my effort is my way of saying thank you. Thank you.

To all my teachers of my 2011 fall semester, though you may never read this, thank you for the work you have done. You have helped me to succeed in this step towards my future. And I am treasuring every day I spend in your classes. Especially now that my time with you all is growing short, oxymoron that the phrase is.