I've Got Some Growing Up To Do...

I am a pro complainer. No one complains better than me. Just ask my momma. Usually, I have an array of things to complain about: It's too hot in my room. Gas prices are too high. I don't get paid enough. The elevator never works...

Recently, I found something to complain about so often that I don't have time to complain about anything else. I'm taking Law of Mass Communications with Dr. Stanley Tickton at Norfolk State University.

Oh. My. Gosh.

I feel like this course was designed to make people feel like their IQ is most likely a single digit. I go to class every Tuesday and Thursday ready to learn. I have my paper ready to take the usual seven to eight pages of notes. I'm wide-eyed and my mind is clear. He tells us everything we need to know about FCC regulations and losing licenses and so on.

For that hour and a half, I feel pretty good about the class. When it's over, I'm confident that I'll do excellent on the next assignment. The day comes to turn in our homework. I've got 2-3 pages of single-spaced cases and regulations. I'm sure I aced this one.

Then he gives the papers back.

Let's just say, the temperature in Antarctica gets higher than the grades I get in his class.

How the hell do I spend hours and hours on a single assignment just to get a 38??? I'd love to be a fly on the wall while Dr. Tickton grades my papers. I'm sure the words "idiot," "crazy," and a couple "pfftss" have escaped his lips while reading over my work.

I just don't get it. But I get it. I mean, I understand the material. I just don't know how to construct a paper showing that I understand.

I spoke to a friend of mine about the class, and he had a revelation that I hadn't thought about: This is college. Perhaps, we're not delivering what Dr. Tickton wants because we've never been forced to learn on a college level. Honestly, most of my classes at NSU have been a breeze. I'm a pretty smart person, and I can pass most classes by just applying what I already know about the subject. Actually going to class and doing the work hasn't really helped or hurt me so far.

Aside from those bird courses, I've had two professors before Dr. Tickton that were notoriously hard. Dr. Katina Hall-Patrick (who I hear is now just Dr. Tina Hall) and Dr. Pendleton taught chemistry and geography, respectively. I did horribly in both of their courses.

They both taught on ridiculous levels. I complained while I was in the class, but now that I think about it, maybe they were just teaching college courses. Maybe they were so tough because they really knew their stuff. This law class is difficult, but that's only in comparison to all my other classes. I'm taking music appreciation and bowling for crying out loud. Why are those even necessary?

I guess I've got some growing up to do. If I have anything to complain about, it'll be the price of textbooks or something. I'm done complaining about hard courses. In every class I take, I expect the professor to be passionate enough about the subject to at least keep me interested. When they're not, I complain. So why am I complaining when a professor is too passionate about the subject?

I need to recognize when a teacher is trying to make me better and stop confusing it with trying to break me. I'm working on that. In fact, I have an assignment due today. I put in so much work for this one. I rewrote my answers over and over and I read the casebook a zillion times. I'm pretty confident about this one. It's got to be at least a 50. :)