Okay, got through my finals. I have all As, which is great, but the BIG deal is what my professor said. I finished my final, handed in my test, and she smiled and winked at me.
SHE SMILED AND WINKED AT ME.
This is the teacher who scowled at everyone at the first of the semester. Who was irritated at every correctly-answered question. Who was rude, fierce, and I thought hated the world and all the people in it.
I was wrong. And for those of you who know me well, let me say that again: I WAS WRONG.
She’s not rude, or mean, or “out to get” anyone. Her classes are hard, but she is fair. She doesn’t pick favorites–isn’t that the quality we hate the most?–or manipulate. She’s straightforward, with a steely smile and carefully guarded words. No tricks.
She’ll never win a Teacher of the Year award.
Most students take her class twice, some take it three times. Others give up, and change their majors to become medical-office assistants. Some people transfer schools, hoping for an easier class or an easier professor. And a very few pass through, heads down, studying every evening, rewriting notes, constantly looking for ways to apply this sea of knowledge, make it reachable, make it manageable. Those few earn Bs, and some (no more than two or three a year) earn As. My study partner and I were asked to be supplemental instructors for this class in the fall, a high honor as two years ago her s.i. gave answers and helped students cheat.
I’m proud of my A in her class. I’m proud that I will be paid to help nursing students study, take notes, and pass. I’m glad that I have experience, since my part-time job is tutoring science majors (most often nursing students) in chemistry here at the college. But I’m most glad that I didn’t complain about her to the other students. Those who know me are choking on their coffee with amazement…we’ll pause for a minute so they can clean off their monitors.
I have a big mouth. I say what I think–out loud–at the worst times. I’m working on it, really I am, but sometimes the urge to speak is simply too strong.
This is where being a chemistry tutor has helped me. I have to control my tongue as we go over the Ideal Gas Law (PV=nRT) for the nth time: “You see, if I’m solving for T, I have to divide both sides by nR.” Student: “Oooh, I get it! So, I’ll have nR/PV=T, right?” Me: “…No.” The urge to strangle is strong, but I…must…resist…the Force…
Ahem.
So I go over it again. And again. And again, oh god please help me. But that’s all over–chemistry finals are done, so I’m out of a job until the summer semester starts in two weeks.
