Going Home

I was able to visit my hometown over Christmas. While there, I was able to get in touch with a good friend from my high school and undergrad days. We hadn’t connected in about 8 years.

It was a bittersweet visit with him. As a young adult, the world was waiting for him. A natural and gifted athlete, he was out-going and made friends easily. He had a very marketable undergrad degree from a Big Ten School and he landed an internship that he parlayed into a great and lucrative job upon graduation. I was jealous of him then. I was still plugging away in school looking to become a social worker and he had this great job. As well, he had just gotten married and bought a house. He looked like a great success story and I used to second-guess my chosen educational and upcoming career path.

Fast-forward 20 years and boy oh boy how the times change.

He is on his third marriage now, run into some legal challenges for himself and he has stepchildren who are on a first name basis with the local DA. His once promising career evaporated years ago and he bounces around now in jobs that aren’t in any fashion related to his education, abilities or intelligence.

People making wrong choices, well, I’ve seen a ton of ‘em. I usually have a bit of que sera sera attitude when I see it professionally with colleagues or students. This one hits close to home and it makes me uncomfortable. I realize I shouldn’t be sad for him, or me either I might add. But, I still wonder what went wrong and wonder what could’ve been.

Home Schooled Students

Twas a few days after grades were turned and all through the campus not a professor stirred, not even the early tenure hopefuls.

My grades had been posted and several malt beverages had been toasted.

An what should appear at my door?

Was it Prancer, was it Dancer?

No!

It was that bore!

The one who was home schooled and taught by mom.

He had just found out his grade in my class had been a bomb.

This has never happened to me before, I've always done well.

I replied with a huff and a snort, I'm a teaching professional and not your mother.

I give credit where credit is due.

And unfortunately young man, the grade you've earned is true!

So away to the parking lot I did fly

And with a tip of my hat, I bade him good-bye!

(My sincerest apologies to the fine English faculty over in Radford!)