Report from first day of class in the writing course I teach:
One student tells us he is a pagan. I thought there were lots of pagans around but he says he is the only pagan he knows. As he explained to the class, it’s easy to keep a low profile as a pagan because a lot of the time you are simply trying to stay in tune with natural things, which isn’t all that bizarre. And, he said, many of the holidays popular in today’s society are based at least in part on pagan observances. Christmas has ties to the ancient “Yule” celebration, for instance.
So you can practice without people thinking you’re too much of a weirdo. It’s kind of like being a vegetarian (although no one in class would admit to that).
Another student is planning to leave the university in May following her freshman year. When she graduated high school she joined the Air Force for two years. She said she had a desire to serve her country. A few weeks ago she signed up for a hitch in the Army. She hopes to serve as a military police officer in Afghanistan while she continues to work on her college career online.
I made fun of a few students who want to be journalists, especially the young man who says he plans to be both a photographer and a writer. Could he pick two other career paths less likely to result in paying jobs? He allowed himself to glare at me but he answered very politely that (in so many words) he plans to do just fine and maybe I should mind my own business. (I agreed with him.)
Here’s where a place like Western is different than many of the elite, private universities you find in New England. At those schools, all the students are pretty much the same, and have had pretty much the same experiences. You can learn a lot about history, science and English at Private U, but you are less likely to learn life lessons from your classmates.
It’s an extra benefit of being a student at Western.
To follow Western Connecticut State University, go to www.wcsu.edu
