The Empty Classroom

As the second morning class concluded and the last student gathered her belongings and left, I gathered mine and began to walk through the classroom in this industrial building when I noticed the view.

Usually the mini-blinds are not pulled open as they were today, so the view wasn't a usual scene. The empty classroom is, in itself, a mysterious place with all the students gone but their voices seeming to linger and sometimes the looks they shoot me stay for a long time. When they are handed a paper with a less than desirable score, their counteances reveal volumes about their emotions.

Today right after class a student emailed me to ask if she should drop the class. She had just gotten her most recent graded essay -- with a less than quality grade -- she wanted to know if I could tally her scores and give her advise on whether she should drop the class or not. I responded that she was asking the wrong question. I wrote that,

"The better question to ask YOURSELF is 'Why did I write such an inferior essay for that project?' ALL the material was in the textbook."

She responded with "Yes. I was very dissapointed with myself. I have been working in my textbook reviewing the material and then I blew it! It's all material I had studied and knew."

So I paused to look out the window and to once again ponder the reality that the community college is the junction where many young adults realize that they do or they don't want to be a student. "want to" or "desire" is the key to so many things. Enrollment in college is not mandatory as school is for K-12.

Now, though, I am home enjoying the warmth of our family room with a fireplace warming this house. Tuesdays are my loooooong days 8:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., so Mr. Fun prepared a delicious meal. Now we're talking about putting the pooches in the shower and doing something we usually only do in the mornings, giving them a bath. We leave in two days for the Central Coast and a 4-hour drive with sinky pups is not very appealing. So to the shower we go.

Good night from Southern California.
Rosie (& Mr. Fun), aka Carol