Pedley’s Ponderings

No more school for this fool

     As schools and colleges throughout the nation return for the new fall semester, I’ve been able to kick back and chuckle now that I’m finally finished with my studies.

     It’s definitely a change of pace. I’m used to dreading this time of the year – you have to move all your junk into a new apartment at college, figure out your class schedule and reacquaint yourself with the library. The sidewalks and hallways of each building were always jam-packed with students stumbling around searching for the right classroom, and watching all the freshmen screw up was quite a comical scene.

     However, I was never immune from early year idiocies. Each semester – even when I was a senior at the University of Iowa – I’d inevitably walk into the wrong class despite my “veteran” experience.

     One instance in particular stands out in memory. I was just starting my final semester at school last fall and had a government class in one of the university’s largest lecture halls. I was excited to sit up in the balcony and blow off the professor’s introductory lecture. After all, I had the class’ syllabus and schedule already printed, so there was no need for me to listen to somebody read it to me.

     I got to the lecture and it was packed like any other usual first day. I settled into a seat in the balcony, took in the scenery and got out my phone to kill some time. I didn’t notice anyone I knew there so I wasn’t paying attention to the people around me.

     Had I been paying attention, I would have noticed the words “Biology II” sprawled across the giant screen at the front of the lecture halls. As you can probably guess, that class wasn’t a requirement for a student majoring in journalism and political science. Until the professor’s voice came over the speakers and said, “Welcome to biology,” I was completely unaware of my boneheaded mistake.

     I could feel my face burning as it turned red with embarassment. I ripped open my bookbag and grabbed my schedule. To my horror, I had gone to the right lecture hall at the wrong time – five hours late to be exact.

     I sunk down into my seat and weighed my options while the professor explained the syllabus to the class.

     I could have gotten up and walked out, completely acknowledging my screw-up to the two hundred other people in the balcony. I thought about it for a while, but I became more hesitant the longer I waited. I didn’t want to look like some stupid freshman sulking out of the wrong classroom. I decided my only option was to swallow my pride and sit through a biology class I wasn’t even enrolled in.

     This familiar back-to-school tale is probably a common one for many dazed students nationwide as they adjust to the ebb and flow of the classroom grind. Early morning classes and long lectures aren’t something many kids enjoy, but the new school year wasn’t always such a terrible time.

     I enjoyed the excitement of the new school year despite its pitfalls. The campus and classrooms were buzzing with activity and it was fun to see old friends and catch-up with each other. Of course, the lack of homework during the first week always made it a little more fun as well. “Syllabus Week” is fond in many college students’ hearts – the bars always have cheap drink specials to welcome back their faithful patrons.

     This fall is the first time in 18 years that I won’t be sitting in a classroom mindlessly doodling while a teacher drones on about one topic or another. Part of me will miss it, but an overwhelming portion says good riddance. I don’t have to buy books, I’m not fighting any crowds and I don’t have to trudge to class in 100 degree heat, and that’s quite alright with me. This air condition office is suiting me just fine.

     Nick Pedley is the regional news editor for the Hampton Chronicle, The Sheffield Press and Pioneer Enterprise.