Harvard Girl may have made my morning...
Apr. 24th, 2002 02:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aruanbut Addie has singlehandedly made my semester. i've come to the realization that i can love the subject matter, but there's only so much the class itself will do for me without an equally engaging instructor. and to live up to the tall order of filling english-esque teacher shoes, well, that's a beast all unto itself with me.
sometimes i feel like i get too excited about the english language, like the way finally finding the perfect word sends shivers down my spine and the resultant happiness makes my toes curl and my heart warm for minutes after, or how a single well-placed bit of poetic irony can reduce me to a gawking, awestruck puddle on the floor. but Linguistics made me see that the problem in fact lies with most people, who take this incredibly complex and intensely involved process of communicating for granted. in a way, the class validated my fascination, that all my slack-jawed wonder and semantic glee was in fact justified because the English language is in fact just THAT cool.
she gave out grade sheets at the end of class (after our cupcakes for questions game). she had called me aside earlier in the semester to talk about something homework or otherwise related and took the time to mention other courses in the English department that she thought i'd find interesting. and as things should only come so easily to a beginner, she's also noted before that i seem bored with the pace of things, to which i could only duck and blush. plus, she had us write two research/observation papers over the course of the semester but still managed to keep her wit and presence of mind about herself enough to appreciate the creative writing that went into the legitimate data analysis itself (unlike certain tight-assed punks with a grudge against femininity). and from those, the personal information sheet i filled out the first day of class, what little i spoke in class, my homeworks, and the couple of times i stayed after to talk to her about a concern i had regarding what we'd discussed in class that day, she gathered that i was an intelligent person with a passion for writing but somewhat out of her element at moment present. and here i thought college was this detached grind process. Addie's probably the most real person i've met here.
in any event, she handed out our grade sheets, and some of them had a 'comments' section. i quote to you now a passage that made me absolutely melt into the floor with an idiotic grin plastered on my face and stay after to mumble something involving appreciation and thanks for everything, which i'm quite certain i blushed and stammered all the way through:
"I must say that you were one of the joys of this class. I really appreciate (as I said on your last exam) your ability to integrate knowledge and understand it deeply. You are a very talented student and writer, and I wish you much success in all your future endeavors. (Please do consider linguistics in your future). Best of luck on your exams. I wish you wonderful TV watching (I'd mentioned Buffy and Smallville in various homework problems), great books, and an excellent summer."
as the shelf life of compliments go, this one's gonna last me well into next semester. thanks, Addie. you made me remember that somewhere under anything else, the selfsame stuff Ig saw in me way back when still courses through my veins as strong and vibrant as ever. reality checks that are good for the self-esteem? mmm, irony good.
sometimes i feel like i get too excited about the english language, like the way finally finding the perfect word sends shivers down my spine and the resultant happiness makes my toes curl and my heart warm for minutes after, or how a single well-placed bit of poetic irony can reduce me to a gawking, awestruck puddle on the floor. but Linguistics made me see that the problem in fact lies with most people, who take this incredibly complex and intensely involved process of communicating for granted. in a way, the class validated my fascination, that all my slack-jawed wonder and semantic glee was in fact justified because the English language is in fact just THAT cool.
she gave out grade sheets at the end of class (after our cupcakes for questions game). she had called me aside earlier in the semester to talk about something homework or otherwise related and took the time to mention other courses in the English department that she thought i'd find interesting. and as things should only come so easily to a beginner, she's also noted before that i seem bored with the pace of things, to which i could only duck and blush. plus, she had us write two research/observation papers over the course of the semester but still managed to keep her wit and presence of mind about herself enough to appreciate the creative writing that went into the legitimate data analysis itself (unlike certain tight-assed punks with a grudge against femininity). and from those, the personal information sheet i filled out the first day of class, what little i spoke in class, my homeworks, and the couple of times i stayed after to talk to her about a concern i had regarding what we'd discussed in class that day, she gathered that i was an intelligent person with a passion for writing but somewhat out of her element at moment present. and here i thought college was this detached grind process. Addie's probably the most real person i've met here.
in any event, she handed out our grade sheets, and some of them had a 'comments' section. i quote to you now a passage that made me absolutely melt into the floor with an idiotic grin plastered on my face and stay after to mumble something involving appreciation and thanks for everything, which i'm quite certain i blushed and stammered all the way through:
"I must say that you were one of the joys of this class. I really appreciate (as I said on your last exam) your ability to integrate knowledge and understand it deeply. You are a very talented student and writer, and I wish you much success in all your future endeavors. (Please do consider linguistics in your future). Best of luck on your exams. I wish you wonderful TV watching (I'd mentioned Buffy and Smallville in various homework problems), great books, and an excellent summer."
as the shelf life of compliments go, this one's gonna last me well into next semester. thanks, Addie. you made me remember that somewhere under anything else, the selfsame stuff Ig saw in me way back when still courses through my veins as strong and vibrant as ever. reality checks that are good for the self-esteem? mmm, irony good.
