Prime Time education

Today I started my first day of classes. I woke up this morning with not so much as a pen to write with or a gum wrapper to take notes on. Needless to say I was not prepared at all. I didn’t have one book, and I really didn’t know when they would be arriving in the mail. At Andrews I was used to having an ID card that I use to purchase my books, like a credit card, but here, you reach deep down into the lint traps of your own pockets and pay. I had to find a cheaper alternative so scoured the internet and found my books at a much cheaper price. Let’s just hope they arrive before the quarter ends.

That’s right… I said Quarter. This college works on the quarter system. It feels like an extended summer school. Each one of my classes is over two hours long and each quarter is only 10 weeks long. I only have 2 classes but they are 5 credits each, so let’s just say it’s a lot of work crammed into a short amount of time.

So my alarm sounds at 9, and I wake up like it’s any other day, and then I remember, OH YEAH, I have class today. After I get showered and dress I don’t even bother on a conquest for some loose leaf paper of a note pad, I just throw my laptop in my bag and call it a day.

I drive into the school parking lot (that’s right I DRIVE) while eating my unsweetened oatmeal chock full o’ raisins and I find building B. Intro to Economics in Room 227 is where 4 hours and 30 minutes of my week will decay for the next 10 weeks. I walk in and see students scattered across the room, like they are scared to sit next to one another. So I follow suit and try to find a seat in my own seclusion. 10:30 hits and a 50 something year old woman enters with papers in her hand and her hair tussled, like she just came from a sky diving lesson.

“I will be your proctor for today. Hopefully we can get everything else straightened out with you actually professor.” She said through nasal speech.

I don’t see anyone else with a laptop, so I’m a little hesitant of setting mine up, But I really don’t have any other choice. So as I’m setting up my things, I see another woman enter and turn on the television. She fiddles with some wires in the back and suddenly the class sees a live stream of video from another classroom at an unknown location. We’re a little confused but we just wait for our teacher so come in.

About 3 minutes pass and we hear a voice boom from the television. “Hello Class! I am Dr. Cali, I will be your instructor for Intro to Economics." I look up at the flat screen television and see an OLD man walk into the room, and give a quick acknowledgment to the camera. WHAT? Are you serious? Is this man really teaching our class via…. TELEVISION?

Yes he is… He teachers two classes simultaneously. One in person, and one through the boob tube. There is a camera set up on the television so he can see us, and we can see him. And microphones, so that he can hear us and we can hear him. GREAT! I have a hard enough time paying attention in class, now I have to try and get an A in a class where I’m staring at a screen and listening to some old man ramble on about the economy.

I should have taken this class online…