being there

I realized today what has made this back-to-school experience not-unpleasant:

distance learning classes.

Distance learning classes mean that you can get work done whenever it's convenient. Distance learning classes mean that you can get a couple of weeks ahead, go to Europe, get a couple of weeks behind, and still get it all sorted out in time for finals. Distance learning classes mean that "class participation" can be posting on a message board at 2 AM.

Most of all, distance learning classes mean no sitting in lectures.

My only live classes so far have been guitar and Spanish. There were, granted, some slow moments in guitar. But Spanish is always interesting because, well, I have a LOT to learn and Prof. Cucurny is always interesting himself no matter what.

Compare Communications 110H (public speaking).

We do have a very intelligent, professional, and polished professor who seems to have a lot of fascinating stories to tell even though she only just hints at them in between points.

But I couldn't help but think, during today's lecture on how to write a 5-minute expository speech, I have taught this class before.

Since '99 nary a month has passed that I haven't studented or taught at some kind of public-speaking themed thing. Hook, intro, body, conclusion -- I've drilled them into small children, large children, children in classes, children I've tutored, happy children, angry children, Trial Advocacy students, Appellate Advocacy students, young people, old people, sleepy people, hungry people, all kinds of people.

Interestingly, this doesn't make the actual speaking any less scary. But, oy!, the lectures!

So, today, as I was sitting in class feeling sorry for myself, wondering if maybe at age 23 some kind of strange fusion happens in your spinal cord that makes college classroom chairs not only less-than-ergonomic, but actually injurious, likely to cause serious life-threatening bodily harm, the professor said something wonderful:

We use what we know to explain what we don't know.

This is fabulous.

Really. Just think about it.

If this is all I get out of this class (and I'm sure it won't be), I'm happy.