Sept 11th

First let me say that we had an awesome turn out for our August meeting.  The food was good and the conversation and business even better.  As it turns out - our next meeting will be on Sept 11th.  This year marks the 10th anniversary of the attacks on the Twin Towers.  I remember this day clearly as I was folding clothes and watching the morning show as events unfolded.  I remember sitting on the edge of the bed and thinking how unreal it seemed as my girls were watching cartoons in the other room and I can hear this weird mingle of song and terror echoing through the house.  I cried silently, praying as I watched the second airplane hit.  Crazy thoughts .... "it's a movie, a trick... " etc.  But it was real and my heart broke.  It wasn't until the second plane hit that I thought of being attacked.  Until then I really thought that it was just a tragic accident, a plane falling from the sky.  I didn't call anyone nor did I speak for a long time after.  It was if my mind simply could not reach the gravity of what had happened.  When the truth came - it was a terrorist attack - the next few weeks were solid coverage on every station it seemed.  And the world held its breath.  It doesn't matter which side of the war you are on.  Democrat, Liberal, Conservative, Republican, etc...  Our country and it's people were attacked.  Our firemen and policemen died saving lives.  It is a horrible event that marred our lives in a very tragic day.  It was the end of our innocence. 

I encourage others reading the blog to share their 9/11 moment.  Perhaps at next meeting we should have a moment of silence, and discuss what this moment meant then, now and for the future.

Thoughts on Professors

We love them, we fear them and even on occasion - we may hate them.  But how do they feel about us?  First let me say that these are just my thoughts and observations.  That said  - allow me to start with breaking down the pleasures of teaching into two categories:  classes for freshmen and the rest.  My first impression as a freshman was that my professor really enjoyed history and us.  As a grad student I think I was woefully misguided.  I would think that teaching freshmen would be close to torture.  I understand now by my own experience that there are people who truly enjoy history and then there is everyone else.  Unfortunately, the latter group is much larger. So I expect that the best any professor can hope for is one or two shining faces each semester.  Maybe it's the absence of drool that encourages them to keep plugging at it.  And to be fair - for a few - that moment where history comes alive is often attributed to these poor professors who slug it out in these apathetic trenches.  Otherwise - there would be no students left for the second part of my discussion.

Upper Courses:

For us students we move from timid interest to aggressive hunger in a few short classes.  For the professor, this must seem like a soul exhausting miracle. The time and effort professors make for these classes is monumental and I, for one, am thankful. But now the real questions for me begin.  Do our professors like us?  Do they think of us as inept, pitiful, brilliant or academically vain? How long before we move from being students to colleagues? Or do we ever?  What changes their view of us?  Of ourselves?

There are days where I feel as if I know nothing.  There are also moments when the light turns on and someone, other than my professor, puts my knowledge to test and I know. The knowledge just appears from some murky insecure depth and it is fantastic.  And then my final question crosses my mind:  Why can't I ever have those magic moments during an exam?

A Brand New Year!

Welcome!  As a new school year approaches it's time to reorganize and set some goals.  I am Misty, your PAT historian.  I am happy to report that tonight's meeting went very well.  We have our next meeting on Monday, August 1st @ 7pm at Il Vicino. I would like to take this opportunity to encourage others to submit their own blogs and ideas.  Also, at the next meeting please bring ideas to share about the book sale and Graduate Orientation. (More details to follow).  From this point - I will do my best to post upcoming events and details from the Monday meetings. As time permits, I would like to issue topics - discuss them and then hear back from others.

Lastly, as my first project - I would like all members to submit to me a paragraph or two on who they are, what their interests are and goals they hope to achieve.  I will organize them and create a few pages for the members.

Until next time...