Well, today was my last day of the school. Can I get a Hallelujah? Mmmm, sleeping late. I'm so excited I could take a nap right now.
The anatomy final was yet another impossible-to-pass lab practical. I received a 14/100 on the last one. I didn't do much better this time. I got a 99/100 on my anatomy journal though. I searched through the 19 pages of my hard work to see what I lost a point on. When I couldn't find it, I asked the teacher. "I just didn't feel like giving any 100 percents," she said. I once had a literature teacher do the very same thing to me on paper I wrote on transcendentalism. His excuse was that "no paper is truly perfect."
Grade on the final: D - 35/50
Average grade in the class: A (don't ask me how)
My business law final was dull and predictable as the class.
Grade on the final: B
Average grade in the class: A
My western civilization final was fabulous. Easily my best subject (and easily the best teacher).
Grade on the final: A
Average grade in the class: A
- - - - -
I never have to go back there again. Yet for some odd reason, I'm having trouble summoning up any sort of emotion. I am not happy. I am not scared. I am certainly not sad. I feel like it was just another day. Perhaps all I need to do is simply reflect and I will feel better:
Random things that I will not miss about high school:
- listening to my classmates whine
- my business law teacher parroting back everything I say in the form of a question
- never getting any input on anything I turn in
- disgusting bathrooms
- listening to my male teachers flaunt their "big, tough guy" persona
- not having enough writing or literature classes
- hearing my teachers talk more about their social life than the subject they teach
- wasting six hours and accomplishing nothing
- tedium
- watching my peers create loud, violent disturbances in class after class, and having teacher after teacher stand back and say helplessly "I don't know what to do with them."
- getting up at 6:21a.m.
- never getting any advice on my assignments and therefore, never becoming a better writer
- watching the teachers try even harder than students to invent excuses for us to not do any work
- counting the seconds and the minutes and the hours until I could go home and have my time truly be mine again
In your "Seminar in Thinking and Writing" textbook, make sure you look at the essay by John Gatto. You'll find it interesting, and your peers will benefit from your experience.
I can promise you that when you come to SHU, you won't get many mystery As, your instructors won't tolerate any in-class disruptions, you'll be able to take plenty of literature and writing courses, and your instructors there will have plenty of time to give you feedback on your writing.
I can't promise you won't encounter student whining or egocentric professors, but I don't really have a social life,so you're safe there.
You sound like you're more than ready for Seton Hill University... I hope SHU is ready for you!
Hey, welcome to SHU blog-land. You already have a nice blog going! Looking forward to some more reading!
Sent over by Dr. Jerz from Seton Hill to check out your blog...
Kayla, I think you'll do great in college because you're looking for a challenge that unfortunately high schools don't want to bother offering. One of the biggest problems college English and Lit classes (and frankly, all courses that require essays as well) seem to face these days is exactly what you've mentioned--the lack of focus on writing and grammar. I believe you will find fulfillment in your college courses, and you will offer much in return. Good luck!
Welcome to Seton Hill!
If you have Dr. Dennis G. Jerz for any of your classes--prepare to get some feed back!
Kayla, I'm thrilled to hear that you'll be joining us at SHU this fall. I'm going to be a junior, as an English literature major, and I absolutely love the atmosphere and the kind of learning that I'm doing.
You WILL get feedback, and you WILL be challenged; never be afraid to challenge yourself, either. There are plenty of opportunities to really explore things, and I'm not trying to sound trite by implying that college will erase your sadly jaded high-school learning experience. I can empathize...
Nonetheless, welcome to SHU, Kayla, and welcome (first and foremost!) to the SHU blogosphere. I hope that you'll keep blogging, and update us on this learning funk that high school has wedged you in. Please know that your only option is up!
I have to agree with Karissa you WILL get feedback--some of it you dont want, some of it you do. You WILL be challeneged and will want to quit. You'll be broken down physically and mentally, and then chewed up and spit out, over and over again...ah..young jedi..know this well you will...to become a Seton Hill graduate..mmm, yes..need these skills you will:
1. Always be on time--try to be early if you can. Sometimes being early helps if your professor is at your class early.
2. do NOT be afraid to ask questions! Those will help you if you do not understand an assignment. Even if your afraid to ask in class, that is why Seton Hill has an email system
And the most important of them all...
BE YOURSELF!
SHU welcomes different personalities, different opinions and different ways of thinking--its not high school anymore young Jedi. Soon..your training begins.
May the force be with you.
Hi Kayla! It was very nice meeting you at the Orientation and I'm glad Dr. Jerz posted a link back to your weblog. This site is wonderful and it looks like you've already got some new fans. Looking forward to seeing you in classes at Seton Hill...which I hope will be much more satisfying than your high school experience.
-- Dr. A.
Hey Kayla, glad to see you got your blog going. I'm still around on LJ or here if you still have questions, but I'm quite sure you'll learn a lot more than I could tell you from all the great folk here.
Looking forward to seeing you at SHU! (Hey Lou, she's in Newswriting, too!)
I think college is just whar the doctor ordered for you. I felt the same way about high school. Frankly when it was over I was not sad or left feeling unfulfilled in any way. Many of my peers yearn to go back to that 'simpler' time where as the challenge and rigor of college life has proven to be what drives me. I had done what I needed to do in high school and in my eyes I was moving on to bigger and better things. (the obvious next step)
College will be everything you hope for and more, especially at SHU because of your interest in writing/grammar/literature. The English professors as well as your STW professor will really cater to your specific "level" of writing. When you do something good, you'll get feedback as well as when you do something that needs work. There are no easy grades in college. You'll find that your classmates WANT to be there, minus the obvious few that just attend out of pressure from their parentals. I look forward to seeing you on campus this Fall Semester.
Looks like I'm a little late for hellos, but I'm sending one your way.
Welcome; it's always nice to have a frequent poster on the SHU blog crew.
Wow... there are people blogging this summer! (I am way out of it this summer) Anyway, welcome to the blogosphere, Kayla.
I have to agree with you about those "big, tough guy teachers." Especially the ones that worshipped the popular students and left the rest to rot. Thankfully, I don't know of any professors like that here.
Hope to see you around and I look forward to reading your blog!