Just before Spring Break [side note: living in a college town means measuring time by semesters and breaks], I was able to partake in one of the rare joys of being immersed in a college atmosphere.
I judged a talent show.
Now call me old fashioned, but my first thoughts when I hear the words "talent show" are of my first grade solo routine to "Funkytown" choreographed by my then-11 year old sister. Well...either that or the kid who sang "The Gambler" every single year of elementary school (and perhaps even into middle school) complete with his clear green visor.
BUT I am not that naive, and I know that Talent Shows these days...and in this atmosphere...are far more along the lines of, say wet t-shirt contests in Cabo than Mr. Wizard magic sets that cost $19.99 at Toys R Us.
And so there I was, front row center, flanked by three of the University's finest athletes.
Despite my lack of posts through this fall, life has not actually been all that boring. On the contrary, it's been a pretty good year so far! We've had a bunch of house guests (because of football season), I've only gone out of town a couple of times, and most shockingly, I haven't minded sticking around. :)
I have to admit that a lot of this has to do with the changing of the guard of my teaching assistant, or TA. I'm still not sure what it says about me that I relate to my TA's more than my colleagues, but nevertheless, the two that I've had so far have become two of my closest friends.
This week I had the pleasure of going back to Duke, which I always love! I was asked to be on an alumni panel for the engineering school.
Yes, you read correctly. I was asked to be on an alumni panel.
I KNOW. It's crazy right?! I mean, I know I give advice to students almost every day as a part of my job, but usually it's along the variety of "Can you force add me to this class?" or "Which of these advanced electives is the easiest?" or "What do you mean I can't graduate on time?!"
I honestly never thought that I would actually be asked to be on a panel of alumni doling out pearls of wisdom for students on my stellar career. I was a pretty middle-of-the-road student at Duke and I've had anything but a conventional path after leaving there. But it turns out that I have had some pretty useful experiences to reflect on.
One of the questions was about mentors. At first, this one tripped me up a little bit. Without a clear career path, I've never really sat back and thought of who has been most influential in my professional life. I've had some good bosses, but I wouldn't say that any of them really shaped my future. Then I thought of one of my professors who clearly affected my life: Dr. J. He kept me interested in engineering, he was the first college professor to show that he cared, he was a great teacher, and he was respectful, funny, and smart. I had him for 2 or 3 classes and it was in one of these classes that I had my first all-nighter.
Actually it was an all-four-nighter. I was awake for four days. Straight. OK, I took one 1-hour nap and one 2-hour nap in that time, but I was awake for 93 out of 96 hours.
Diet of choice? Doritos and diet snapple.
Hallucinations? Numerous. My friend Cat's favorite was the one where I thought there were fairies all around my room. Yes, I know they weren't real but that doesn't mean I didn't see them.
But it was all worth it. The project I was working on turned out great (even though I sacrificed studying for a final exam or two along the way) and it was probably the most satisfied and accomplished, academically, that I felt in my whole time there. It wasn't because I had my best grades that semester, but because someone showed that they believed in me when I didn't. I was frustrated with the project and Dr. J didn't coddle me, but he knew how to bring out the best work in me. He turned someone who was slightly apathetic into someone who was extremely determined and motivated.
Sometimes our biggest accomplishments and character-builders come from just building relationships and taking time to let people help beyond just directing your work or teaching you facts in a classroom.
From the second I got on that campus as a freshman, I felt a lot of pressure to be successful. And it was such an incredibly competitive environment that it made me question and, frankly, underestimate my own intelligence. My confidence went from shaky to almost zero. That's where Dr. J came in and whether he realized it or not, he encouraged me to believe and see that I was as smart as he thought I was.
I don't know what he's doing now (though I do know that he's no longer in academia) or if he realizes how much he affected my life. My best way to pay tribute to him is to try to pay it forward and try to bring out the best in others. I'm not the smartest teacher that my students will have, but I hope that I can help them be the best that they can be, because you never know when that middle-of-the-road student will be on the verge of calling it quits or thinking that they're less than they are.
Top 10 things that make me grumpy at back-to-school time:
1. The town and university have an uncanny knack for starting construction approximately 3 weeks before the town quadruples in size.
2. The impending doom of listening to lame excuses. Do students think I'm that naive? Do they believe themselves? Tip: Before you give me an excuse, try it out on your roommates/siblings/dog. If any of them burst out laughing, don't try it with me.
3. Most of the drivers on the road have had their license for 5 years or less, turning the town into, more or less, a student-driving closed course.
4. To quote a colleague, "Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part."
5. Weighing the cost/benefit of going to a bar that is fun and plays good music, yet is crowded by sweaty, wasted college students who scream your name from across the bar. Yes, I can hear you and yes, I am ignoring you.
6. Gross public bathrooms. On campus, in restaurants, and especially in bars. Seriously - who potty trained you? And how long ago?
7. I am your advisor, not your mother. I will not do your work, look things up or make phone calls on your behalf...and neither should you mother, by the way.
8. Pedestrian traffic jams.
9. This. question. "So, do you work in the summer?"
10. Bouncers that give you a hard time even though you're (technically) old enough to be their mother. Yes, that is my real ID. You should not question it for the mere reason that no one under 21 would really have the cajones to use a fake ID that says that they're 37.
So. Not. Ready. For. This.
Top 10 things that make me happy at back to school time! :)
1. Liveliness!! Nothing beats the energy of students coming back from summer break. This is the only time they're excited about doing work.
2. On campus eateries are actually open, which pretty much triples the number of places to eat in the 'burg.
3. More people to talk to. Followed up closely by...
4. More people that listen to, and with any luck, care about what I say.
5. A new TA to harass! Teaching assistant, personal assistant...same difference, right?
6. The return of college sports and rivalries...and tailgating. :)
7. Seeing what kind of fun new outfits and hair styles the students are trying to pull off this year.
8. Being thankful that I don't have to study or do homework on Sundays anymore.
Last week was exhausting yet exhilarating. Grading a never-ending pile of final papers (and yes, I read all 137 of them) by day, relaxing and milking L's last days in the 'burg by night. It was certainly not a sustainable pace for me, but I don't think it is likely to happen again in quite that way.
On the academic side, I was at times really frustrated with students who I knew could do better, but for whatever reason chose not to put the effort into their final papers. But on the other hand, I was super proud of the students who really pulled together something great at the end of the semester. [This part of the week will probably happen again. Every semester, in fact.]
On the social side, I was at times so happy to feel like my (true) self - laughing too loud and razzing friends sarcastically. But on the other hand, I knew that all the revelry was for a reason. It was the end-of-semester euphoria...a sentiment shared by students and (frankly) professors alike.
To be clear, for all its insanity, it was not my "real life" in the 'burg. But for one week, at least, it was.
And so ended the 2010-2011 academic year. All in all, I would call it a successful one even though the classroom continues to provide endless challenges for me. Student apathy is certainly rampant and as a result, I'm usually surprised when students are shocked that I take a real interest in their lives.
Even though I may joke about it, I think that some of them are among the brightest and most talented people I have met. Why wouldn't I want to be a part of that? I could honestly talk to these folks (or even just listen to them) forever.
Of course it's not all sunshine and roses...not everyone is going to love me and/or my style. Maybe they want more law, less ethics. Maybe they don't want to hear about professionalism from someone who they think is only a few years older than them. Maybe they think I don't know what I'm talking about. Maybe they're thinking that they are engineers for a reason - they don't do well with memorization of definitions or they hate writing.
I've learned to not obsess over it. Some of my colleagues feed on the negative feedback and some of them just don't care. I admit that it crushes me a little bit when I get a bad review, but luckily with such a big class every semester, I am usually able to drown out the negative with the positives.
And even though this whole professor thing is relatively new to me, it has brought many "positives" to my life. For the third year, I worked at the spring commencement ceremony for the College of Engineering and it's something I actually enjoy. Graduation is just such a happy time! The proud parents, the elated students, the beaming faces all over campus. What you'll notice is that even though it may be the last time many of them see each other and most are approaching the great unknown of full-time employment, the overwhelming emotion is pure joy.
"There is a good reason they call these ceremonies 'commencement exercises.' Graduation is not the end, it's the beginning." ~ Orrin Hatch
And thus begins another cycle for those of us here. In my academic life, I will continue to strive to be a better educator, friend, and colleague. I will try to be more patient and positive. In my social life...well...I'll try to get a social life in the wake of L and D's departure. :)
It's not the end, it's just the beginning...
So stay tuned. I predict good things for the 2011-2012 year!
"And so it goes, and so it goes. And so will you soon, I suppose..."
This quote is from one of my favorite Billy Joel songs. Like many Billy Joel songs, it is beautiful, sincere, and slightly tragic. And although he is singing about love - the romantic kind - I always find myself singing this song to myself when I say goodbye to good friends.
[Stick with me...I swear this isn't as depressing as it seems so far!]
Assuming this is not your first visit to my blog (in which case...welcome!), you probably know that because of my many moves and job changes, I've had to say goodbye to loved ones a number of times. ProMo has certainly moved around more than I have due to his childhood as an "Army Brat," but I think I've had my share of goodbyes as well.
The "problem," I think, is that I get attached to people pretty easily. I thrive on making connections and forming friendships. So while this may not seem like a problem, it can be hard when I find myself needing to say goodbye before I'm ready. And despite the fact that we're not moving, the end of a school year in a college town means that I will still be saying a lot of goodbyes.
And so it goes.
As I've mentioned before here on this blog, finding lasting bonds has admittedly been harder for me since we moved to the 'burg. But this year has been a bit of a revelation. Once I decided to just let go of some hang-ups on who I could and could not socialize with, I've been able to get close to some pretty cool people. That's the good news! The flip side is that by opening myself up to these friendships, I've had to prepare myself for the inevitable goodbyes that I know will come. Some sooner rather than later. As in, this week. (Eek!)
Rather than seeing it as something completely sad, I am thankful for the really fun (really really fun) times that I've had this year! And I am hopeful for good times to come next year, even though I know this means opening myself up for new friendships yet again. But that's one of my favorite things to do, so I don't mind the challenge...
And I think I've got some good prospects, whether they know it yet or not. :)
Not in a cool "Glee" cheerleader kind of way, but really really nerdy.
Oh sure, it was more obvious when I was a slightly chubby kid with braces, odd little haircuts and big coke bottle glasses. But despite my straight teeth, decent hair and LASIK-tuned eyes, I still love math and corny music, I'm still not really athletically inclined (really!), and I still get awkwardly shy around people I don't know.
Yup, that's me!
OK, OK. I know I left engineering and (sort of) came back, but let's be honest...I've always been a geek deep down. Even when I was working at LLS, I was WAY more into the budget numbers, scheduling and coordination that most of my co-workers. Truth be told, I enjoyed it when they asked me about the construction sequencing of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge project, as we gazed out of the windows from our office on Route 1 in Alexandria. When we would go out to training runs, I would tsk tsk at the poor drainage on some of the trails and point out how a very simple grading modification would eliminate all the ponding. So while I never thought I'd be back in the engineering world, I can't say I ever stayed TOO far away from it.
Route 1/495/95 interchange from the LLS side of the Potomac
One of the things that is cool about working with engineering students is that I see myself in a lot of them. Going back for my Duke reunion this past weekend brought back so many of these feelings, and I was glad my "partner in crime" Cat was there too. We were alike in many ways...we were female civil engineering students who excelled in high school but felt very middle-of-the-road at Duke.
We were still fairly motivated, but became beaten down by the ultra-competitive nature of our fellow students. We called each other "slacker," killed time in class by making up games (remember, this was before laptops!), and slept through more classes than we cared to admit to our parents (sorry mom!). We even calculated how much of our parents' money we wasted every time we skipped class. We joked about it a lot, but secretly, I think we were both pretty disappointed that we weren't getting straight A's with one or two B's anymore.
Two "slackers" and a classy wine cooler - camping out for the Carolina game in 1996.
Cat was going to do anything BUT engineering and I was going to grad school because I had no idea what to do next and I wanted to put off the "real world" for a little bit longer. Fast forward 15 years, and she's the only one of our friends who is still a design engineer and I am teaching a civil engineering class at a Top 10 university.
Believe me, NONE of our friends in college would've called that!
The two slackers are now a professor and a project engineer.
Amstel Light has replaced Bartles & James. Upgrade!
So what I really want to tell these students is that it's OK to have no idea what to do with your life. Embrace your inner nerd! Have confidence in your intelligence...it won't let you down.
I'm not saying that it will always be an easy road. Please...did you see that first picture? How could you NOT make fun of that kid?! But being a geek is kinda cool. Really! I feel like people told me that in high school and college, but it's something that I never really truly believed.
Trust me. "Soon enough you'll figure out, you wanna be...a loser like ME!"
A few of my readers have mentioned that I may want to explain what I mean by "My DINK-y Life." DINK is an acronym for "Double Income, No Kids." Conventional wisdom says that the older the DINK, the less they have in common with their (age) peers. As you can imagine, there are not too many DINKs here in the 'burg. So ProMo and I often need to get creative in our socialization.
And after nearly three years here, I did something new this weekend.
I ventured downtown on a Saturday night without ProMo.
Yes folks, while he was off having a boys' trip to VEGAS [where there was plenty of NSFB (not suitable for blog) activity], I braved the downtown scene without him.
I'm talking full-out college kid experience courtesy of my T.A., L, and her buddy D. We did it up: from the pre-gaming to the Pokey Sticks and all the Sharkey's and TOTS in between.
AND...it was really really a fun night! It wasn't nearly as awkward as I had psyched myself up to believe it would be to be. L and D told me it was because I "blended in" so well. They are sweet.
The good news is that the weekend festivities gave me hope that I, in fact, do NOT need to leave town to have fun and I also don't have to be afraid to run into students! In fact, it seemed that more of them didn't quite know what to make of me being on their home turf. One student (bless her heart) even did a "drive by" just to make sure it was me. When I assured her that it was, she gave a dazed "Oh, hi" and walked away with a friend a tow. A friend who, L later informed me, is also in my class. [My bad for not knowing that, but see this post for the reason why.]
The bad news is that, in the back of my mind, I couldn't help but think that L and D (who are grad students) will be gone soon. And once again, I will be left with a crop of 18-22 year olds. To paraphrase a character from my blog's pseudo-namesake, I keep getting older and they stay the same age. :)
I guess the positive of this is that as they graduate and move on, I'll have more friends in various locales to visit and maybe they can just be my friends instead of my students!
Being a DINK is pretty interesting. Because of circumstances, I find that I often relate more to people who are 10+ years younger than me than the ones my own age. Nothing against my mid-30-something friends, but it's frankly easier for me to relate to conversation centered on the latest books, movies, sporting events, and music than talk of daycare, play dates and the perils of little league politics.
Which leads me to believe that it's not age, but rather life experience that sets us apart. There's nothing wrong with it, it's just life! And so I've concluded that there must be some "mental age" sweet spot that I've stayed in for a while now. For example at my first job, my closest friends were all between 5 and 15 years OLDER than me.
Spring is here! And with it, I have a LOT of observations that have been dying for a blog post.
Where to begin? Well let's start with a little positivity...
March Madness!
I love love love NCAA tournament time! Even though I cheer for a team that everyone loves to hate (Go Duke!), I really do cheer for the underdog in every other game! :) There is something that has always made me happy about watching the tournament and college basketball in general. I guess it's the heart and passion of the players, which is something that I think is lacking in the NBA. Each game is relatively short and sweet and it doesn't matter if you love, hate or are indifferent to the teams who are playing. An exciting game is an exciting game no matter what!
You can't beat the Crazies!!
Now, when I haven't been watching basketball, I've been observing the people around me. What does this include? How about...
Wardrobe Choices - female edition
Well, you don't need to be in a college town to know that when the weather gets warmer, the clothes get smaller. And ladies, I get it. Especially here in "Bleaksburg" where we are all just DYING to shed the sweaters, boots, parkas, mittens, etc. I love a good sundress just as much as the next girl. But I urge you all to please please look in a mirror before leaving the apartment. Oh, and turn on the lights. Transparency is an issue.
Ack! Fashion don't!!!
I almost killed Ravs for taking this but I appreciate its comedic value now!
And here's why you should care. You are dealing with a campus of approximately 15,000 males between the approximate ages of 18-22.
Let that sink in for a hot sec.
Whether they want to look or not, they will. They can't help it. And sometimes, even though you think you want that attention, you don't. Trust.
Wardrobe choices - male edition
Fellas, I know you are just as desperate as the ladies to bid adieu to winter, but the belief that a sunny 50 degrees = shorts and t-shirt weather is sadly misguided. I know you can get away with more than the ladies in terms of fashion ignorance, but try not to take advantage of that too much.
Speaking of male appearances, this may be a good opportunity to talk about the male student haircut. As far as I can tell, it falls under two categories: buzz cut (or the "#3 all over" as my hair stylist calls it) or the shaggy "I haven't been home for months and I can't possibly bring myself to go for a haircut here" look. Personally, I happen to be slightly partial to this second look, but sometimes boys take it a little too far.
[This would be a great time to insert pics of some of my students, but to do so would probably blur the boundaries of legality. And since I teach a class in Professional & Legal Issues, that would be inappropriate. But come visit me in the 'burg and see for yourself!]
All that said, I can't help but find the whole overall lack of concern endearing. Why not? You're only in college once.
Young love - oh the drama!
With spring fever comes a time for love...or something like it. For example, take this conversation that I overheard in a girls' bathroom downtown:
Girl #1: So if I text him, "Hey, come meet me downtown," am I being too subtle? Girl #2: Yes, DEFINITELY. If you want him, you should text "I want to _____ your _____" [...and she actually said, "blank your blank"]
...[That's the sound of me acting invisible while they continue this conversation which quickly goes in a direction I most certainly do not want to go with them.]
Ah, youth. Going downtown is always a study in the collegiate mating rituals, but something EXTRA comes over them in the spring. The natives get restless. I've seen a number of teary arguments and a couple of actual fights, all in the name of love. Or lust. Or whatever.
OK - one more...
The post-Spring Break letdown
It's almost as if Mother Nature knows that she's teasing students as they return from their break in Florida or the Caribbean. While our weather here in the 'burg was actually quite pleasant and in the 60's while they were gone, students were hit with a slug of wind, rain and cold upon their return from their tropical locales. And if the weather wasn't enough, they were bombarded with projects, papers and exams (I'm guilty of contributing to this) when they got back. This is one of the things I decidedly do NOT miss about college!
But they (and I) just need to be patient because the consistently beautiful weather is just around the corner. And as much as I complain, Blacksburg really IS beautiful in the spring! :) And while the below photo is NOT from the 'burg, it is from my recent trip to Asheville with my sis and I figured Asheville is a pretty mountain town so it's close enough, right? Happy Spring!
Apparently, in my effort to not talk about dancing, dive bars, or students, I cranked out a pretty depressing blog post. Boo, me! Sorry about that, people. That was never my intention! I guess I was just caught up in a moment. Or maybe, more than anything else, it was just an excuse to put up fun old pictures and raise a virtual glass to my amazing friends. :)
ProMo raising a glass...er, coconut... 'cuz he's wrong in all the right ways
SO, despite the rainy Monday and the bittersweet basketball game on Saturday night (I don't wanna talk about it), my mood has improved throughout the day. This is probably mostly because Spring Break is around the corner...as in, Friday!! And yes, faculty do have to work over Spring Break, but I am choosing to take a couple of vacation days as long weekends to squeeze in some trips. I'm sure I'll have some great stories to share in future posts.
But for now, I have a pretty good backlog of topics that I can't wait to dig into. Even though they won't all happen tonight, this does tell me that I need to get cracking on updating this more regularly! Some of these topics include:
Topic 1: Reality TV (how have I NOT talked about Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler on Idol or that lovable cowboy lug that is The Bachelor AT ALL?! And...THIS JUST IN - one of my original teen idols, Ralph Macchio, is going to be on Dancing with the Stars!! First New Kid on the BlockJoey McIntyre, now the Karate Kid? Be still my heart...)
Daniel-san!!
Topic 2: My insane yet awesome dogs, Marlon Jackson Moen and Tito "Eli" Jackson Moen! Oh, have I not mentioned that my dogs are and will forever be named after the Jackson 5 (and their siblings, when I get to 6 names)?
Marlon and the Pringles perp.
The Original Marlon and Tito flanking Michael.
Topic 3: Travel adventures (lots of fun trips coming up!)
High security in the Philippines. Not getting through that sucker.
...and the gift that keeps on giving...students and my crazy life in academia. I hope to bring you more amusing stories of my awkward 30-something city-girl self STILL trying to navigate this town of mostly temporary 18-22 year old residents.
On a related side note to that last bullet, I have invested in a digital voice recorder. Originally, I wanted to buy it for some interviews that I do for work, but then I realized that it may be a tremendous benefit for my blog.
To test out this theory, I brought my new gadget out in downtown Blacksburg on Friday night. And, my friends...it. was. awesome. If I do say so myself.
While it's a bit long, rambling and inside-jokey to all include now, here's a little sample of my observations:
The scene - Friday night, Hokie House.
["Genie in a Bottle" by Christina Aguilera and "Criminal" by Fiona Apple have already played.]
Me, speaking into my new favorite toy: They're playing the Spice Girls now. Spice Girls!PLEASE TRY to convince me this is not a 90's bar. This is, like, the 3rd 90's song we've heard in a row. [Pause. Sense of recognition.]
Oh my gosh...these people were, like, 5 years old when this song was popular. OK, maybe 8. AT BEST 8...They would have to have been born in 1989 to be 8. So that's like, seniors. [BTW, I'm impressed by my quick math skills in this situation, but still mad at my overuse of the word "like."]
[Silence while I scan the crowd.]
AND not all these people are seniors. [Pause. scan.] In fact, I would venture to say that 30% of the people here have a Fake ID.
[Another pause, moment of reflection, a-ha moment, and finally, mock horror]
They are shutting down Adams Mill but they're letting these people drink?!? It's a travesty. A TRAVESTY!
...AANNNDD scene. Welcome to a taste of a "chill" night for us in the 'burg. This was followed by sporadic visits from students, who were all quite polite, if not always the most sober.
But back to the blog!
While there is endless hilarious material on life in this town, I WILL get serious every once in a while. There are some pretty significant anniversaries coming up for me, and since this is the best forum for expression that I have, you'll see it all here!
But don't worry, I never take myself TOO seriously so you shouldn't either. ;)
It is the late afternoon/early evening on a Friday in the 'burg.
These are the moments that I truly feel in limbo. You see, during the week my work and other random life responsibilities keep me busy and generally content. But on the occasions that I am in town on this day of the week, at this time, I can't quite describe how I feel. Of course I'm happy that the weekend is here, but truthfully I'm a little lonely and wishing that I had more of my good friends close by.
These are the moments that, when I lived in Hoboken/NYC, Baltimore, and DC I would know that I would have friends to hang out with, even if ProMo was busy.
These are the moments that I remember saying to my co-workers/friends, "Where are we going tonight?" because it was just assumed that we had plans together.
These are the moments that I do envy the students...as they relax and play frisbee, football or soccer on the Drillfield. I want to do that! OK - maybe not play those sports (because I really suck at all 3), but definitely sit out there and relax with friends. It's a beautiful setting and reminds me of lazy days on the Quad at Duke.
These are the moments that I wish there were more than 5 places to eat/go out in the 'burg.
I know it will get worse when the weather warms up and I will want to sit on the patio at The Mill or walk down to the Mall or Rock Creek Park and chill with my peeps.
But in the spirit of T.I. (see the About ME! tab for an explanation/quote), I am trying to not focus on all that and really enjoy what I do have...
A great home. A great husband. Crazy yet infinitely lovable dogs. A safe place to live with a low cost of living. And lots and lots of friends. Even if they're not here with me, it's nice to know that there are so many people I could count on if I really needed them.
"Raise your hand if you think it's the engineer's fault? ... Raise your hand if you think it's the contractor's fault? ... Raise your hand if you're not paying attention? ..."
Yes folks, this actually came out of my mouth during class today.
And yes, everyone is ready for spring break.
As I looked out into the abyss that is my warehouse-like classroom, there were a lot of things that went through my head. I confess that most of these thoughts had absolutely nothing to do with what I was talking about. Honestly, this happens to me a lot. I mean, it's not so crippling that I lose my train of thought, but it happens often enough that I have (easily) come up with a list of my top 10 thoughts in class (outside of the material I'm teaching, of course). Here they are, in no particular order.
1. "Dude, wake up. I can see you sleeping."
Seriously? At least TRY to fake it.
2. "Wow - a packed house. They must think I'm giving a pop quiz today."
Because after 4 semesters, sometimes I truly believe that's the only reason they show up.
3. "They look bored. Why are they bored? Because I'm talking about the law? Should I crack a joke? Will they get it? Do I look as weird as I feel?"
This probably goes through my head about 80% of the time that I look up.
4. "Oh my gosh...I just made a reference to something that happened when I was in high school and they weren't even born yet."
Yet another reminder that I am sadly not as young as I feel or look.
5. "Are they gonna get this OJ Simpson reference? Do the words, 'If the glove don't fit, you must acquit' mean anything to them?"
See #4
6. "Hey kid. Get off of Facebook."
Self explanatory. Although in their defense, I probably would have done the same thing in my class...if Facebook, twitter, email (hell, even laptops) were as widespread then as they are now.
7. "I hear you talking and I know you're not talking about proximate cause, vicarious liability or supervening illegality."
I get that it's not the most interesting stuff. And I know you're dying to talk about something else with your buddies. But the least you can do is IM, gchat, tweet, etc. etc. Don't talk to each other in a volume so loud that I can hear you across the room. It's not that hard people.
8. "I wish I knew more people's names."
I know some faces, I know most names, but it makes me sad that I can't always put them together. I feel really strongly that the students don't go through college feeling anonymous, so this one makes me pretty sad.
9. "Please pay attention to me. This is on the exam and I will feel guilty when/if you all don't get it right."
At the end of the day, I know I can only do so much to get them to actually listen. But I get a MAJOR guilt complex if students don't do well on my exams. Rather than blaming it on them not paying attention in class, I blame it on myself. I need to get over this.
10. "I hope I'm getting through to them and they're actually learning."
Despite, (or maybe because of) all the goofing off, I have to say the most gratifying thing for me is when they say thanks or say that they actually enjoyed the class. At times, I know it's difficult to sit through...I even bore myself. But I think that makes it even better when they email me after they've graduated with a story about how they handled an ethical dilemma at work or how they used some of my resume and interview tips to land a job. I know I've actually gotten through to them. And that's a really great feeling. :)
AAANNNDDD... just to cap it off, a GLEE reference!! When I originally saw this particular episode I found Gwyneth Paltrow's character, Holly Holiday, pretty irritating. Then I realized that I may just want to be like her. Aside from hanging out w/Mr. Schuster (which is incentive enough), she gets to spend class time busting out in Top 40 songs and dancing around the room with the students, then going out for tacos!
On a spring semester Saturday night in the burg, you can count on a few things. Among these:
1. The majority of the people you see will be students.
2. If you go out to a nice dinner, you'll likely see fraternity boys and/or sorority girls all dressed up to go to a formal.
3. There will be dancing. Lots of dancing.
The benefit of living in a college town is that it gives you the opportunity to re-live some of the best moments of your college days. For me, this included formals and dancing. I love love love to dance. In fact, that's one of the reasons I love Vegas so much. Amazing clubs! But that's a post for another time...
When formals and dancing collide...
My girls and I doing the hottest dance move in 1996 - the Marcarena
I also loved my sorority days and while we did a lot of fun things, getting dressed up, going to formals, and dancing bring back a lot of great memories. So when ProMo and I see all the cute "kids" dressed up, nervous and enjoying a nice dinner, we can't help but feel nostalgic for those sweet days. Sure we didn't know each other then, but that kind of thing is universally fun.
The "awww" moment quickly fades when we decide to head out and find our "perfect bar" in the 'burg. This would be a place that has friendly bartenders, plays good music (to us this means top 40 pop/hip-hop), and is not swarming with college students. Easy to find in a city, impossible to find in Blacksburg.
We end up in a place that doesn't have a rep for being one of the standard student hangouts, but has great music blasting. I'm tentatively hopeful. I think things are looking up even more as I get carded, have the drunk girlfriend of the bouncer tell me I look "amazing" for 36 (thank you), and follow the sound of the music upstairs. There, we are greeted by another bouncer who tells me that there's a $5 cover. For...? Whatever, I gotta dance!
Vegas, not Blacksburg
But as soon as I'm on the dance floor, I immediately spy 2 of my students and quickly note that the average age is, at best, 19. I do my best to get my dance on and avoid eye contact with students, but I am more focused on the insanity that surrounds me.
Going to Vegas and other clubs often, I am far too familiar of the ol' "grab and hump" (or as ProMo calls it - the "ball and socket") that drunk boys LOVE to pull on whoever is closest to them. While this move is not exclusive to college kids, having it executed by sweaty, drunk, and generally awkward pubescent boys adds that little something that makes it slightly more desperate and sad, rather than just annoying.
And it's in these moments that I am glad that I am not in college anymore.
Too distracted and slightly depressed that we have not yet found the "perfect bar," we finish our drinks, watch more awkward mating rituals, and head home to snuggle with the dogs. Being a grown-up isn't all bad...but I sure wish I didn't have to leave town to dance.
