BLACKWOOD, NJ, USA
No updates in a while, but really not that much to update y’all on.
I started my summer class at Camden County College last Monday, and it’s amazing. What would make me say that a Lab Physics class is amazing, because we all know that it can’t possibly be the subject matter? The schedule! We’re supposed to go from 5:30-9:30pm 4 nights a week. So far we haven’t been there past 8, and we’ve gotten out at 7:30 more than once! And apparently the Professor plans to keep this schedule. Add to this the fact that there’s no attendance grade unless you miss 3 consecutive classes, he doesn’t care if you come in up to 10 minutes late, he’ll accept anything up to three days late with no penalty and the fact that this course doesn’t affect my GPA (I just need a “C” for the credit to transfer) and you have the recipe for an easier ride than even I thought was possible. I should have transfered to CCC years ago. (Ok, maybe not.)
This is my first class ever at a community college (well, not counting that college computer class for smart kids I took in 8th grade), and it’s kind of an interesting makeup. There are the community college kids (nothing against them), the University kids trying to get transfer credit (it kind of reminds me of one of those fall pro prospect baseball leagues where players all play on one team but wear the uniforms of their organization: you have me in my Syracuse hat, the two guys in Virginia Tech shirts, the guy with the George Washington shorts, etc.), the inseparable pack of Chinese girls who speak almost no English (we have them in Syracuse too), and the people who work full time who are going back to school part time. It really feels different from anything I took at Syracuse. The average age is probably about 24 and honestly, I remember high school physics being significantly harder than this class. But, except for me* and the guy with the cigarette in his ear, this is probably the most dedicated group of students I’ve ever seen. There’s about 24 students in the class and I really don’t think I’d get along at all with all but a couple of them, but I do respect the way they work.
My brother’s high school French teacher, who was also my high school French teacher, wanted me to come in and talk a little bit about France to the senior French students, so I did that last Tuesday. I had never been a guest speaker before and I wasn’t really sure what to say, but I pretty much just answered questions and it went fine. Afterwards, I spent the next three hours visiting old teachers, and that was fun. This was only the second time that I went back to Highland since I graduated (I went right before Thanksgiving the year after I graduated), and it was nice to see some familiar faces still there. Everyone remembered me, even people I thought would have forgotten me completely, and that surprised me. I got to see everyone I wanted to see, and that was really nice.
My brother has told me just how much Highland has changed in the 3 years since I graduated, but I figured he was exaggerating. I didn’t see it when I went back, but talking with teachers tells me that he must not be exaggerating at all. It’s a good thing that I went back now, because half of the school won’t be there next year. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 teachers are retiring this year because they simply can’t take it any longer. Apparently no one has any control over the school anymore. In my visit, teachers shared with me stories about students telling the principal to go fuck off and the auto shop kids getting bored and flipping a car upside down. One teacher confided in me that s/he thinks it’s only a matter of time before someone gets shot or stabbed in the hallways. So much for a renaissance.
What else have I been up to? Like I said, not much. I’ve been trying to get caught up on some e-mails (one was 4 years old!) and some other small errands. Keeping busy. I think I’m going to go to the library.
*In my defense, if this was a subject that was of any relevance to me, I would exert some effort. Still, if nothing else, it’s not a bad math review for whenever I take the GRE.
Current Mood:Blank.
Current Music: None
Filed under: College, Life Tagged: | Camden County College
