A Polite Rant

Semester started almost a half a month ago. It is hard to believe how quickly everyone picks right up where they left off before winter break. I already have research to do, readings to finish, projects to plan, and papers to write. This semester is my first semester delving into 200-level course work, and I am looking forward to a challenging semester taking two Management courses and two English courses, American Poetry:  Women Poets and Fictions of Empire.

People who know me are aware of my tendency to start small rants about a wide variety of topics; from the films of Tim Burton to global warming, anything is fair game. I consider it a harmless quirk of my personality and hope others do as well. People who know me are also aware that I am, at heart, an optimist, so these rants typically end on a good note. So I am prefacing my blog post with a warning:  this is one of those rants, but please stick with me through it; I promise it ends on a high note.

The beginning of semester is when you go to your classrooms for the first time. Clark has an eclectic mix of buildings. From the very contemporary Lasry Biosciences Building to the antiquated Estabrook, Clark has a wide range of academic buildings and thus a wide range of types of classrooms, which can be a good thing. However as an English major, I would argue that almost none of these classrooms are really conducive to an English class, or at least, a discussion-based English class.

For example, I have had three English courses now in Sackler 321. Sackler, might I add, is a science building. The room is cold most days of the year. (I believe it is because the windows are of an odd-construction that makes them rather drafty.) It is tucked behind the restrooms and a mildly-threatening room that has a heavy metal door and a sign saying "Danger:  Radioactive Materials". The room itself has two chalkboards, one whiteboard, and all the technology one could possibly desire for a classroom but seems to lack a supply of writing implements for the various boards. The available seating features those awkward chairs with desk-like arms. I call it "desk-like" because it really is too small to hold a notebook or fit an average-sized young adult.

But here is the ending upshot:  I always seem to learn the most in my English courses regardless of how awkwardly the room is set up. Even after the too-small desks and the strange room arrangements, the classes always manage to be fantastic. So although I may not like the rooms they are in, I love the classes, and I am expecting a great semester.