My Course
Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 12:41 pm
Sitting at the family table
Enjoying our lunch
"Lamb anyone?"
"Yes please"
Chitter chatter of the day's events
"He's doing this", "They're doing that"
"What about Gorbachev?"
"I've bought a new fridge"
Grandma looks at me with one thought in mind
"You shouldn't have cancelled your course
What will become of you?
In this world you need a profession"
"Yes I know Grandma and I'm doing a course"
"You are? Tell me about it"
"It's a wonderful course and it's free to get in
There's not even a government charge!
You can choose your own subjects
And research is entirely up to you
You have a multitude of professors
Very few give lessons for you
Most give lessons for themselves
What's fascinating about my course is that people of all ages attend class
Moreover, students from all racial, cultural and socio-economic
backgrounds answer 'present' to the roll
To understand and relate to such a diversity of characters is
painstaking; but always worthwile
Unfortunately in this course there is a provision
whereby you can't obtain a 'Leave of Absence'
It has also been decreed that one cannot defer
There are only two ways out of the course:
One is to complete all studies as well as you can
The other is to withdraw
My brother withdrew - the exams were just too tough
I guess the major assignment of the course is for the older students
The task is to shape and mould their younger classmates - to help
them adapt to the rigours of study
Grandma, it saddens me that many of the seniors have little time for
the youngsters
They often seem too involved with their own research
Sometimes the juniors really play up in the Union Building
Often these younger students will repeat the very same subjects
that gave the older students trouble
Sadly, sometimes, they withdraw
Occasionally we are given group assignments
It's often difficult to function as a team as we all think we
know what the teacher wants
The most popular task undertaken by groups is called 'pairing'
This is where one male and one female choose to create
one stable, harmonious unit
I've just begun this project Grandma and I must say that the
physical touching exercise is truly blissful
It's sad that often even this favourite practice can't save many
units from breaking down
Some teachers believe such breakdowns are due to a lack
of communication amongst students
I do enjoy my 'pairing' assignment, it is fulfilling work
However, it is when I am alone, quietly studying,
that I feel most uplifted
It is at these times I can reflect on my past grades
and see clearly what homework needs be done
Very often one essay must be completed so the next can begin
Very few students in my course ever gain 'Distinctions'
A 'High Distinction' is basically out of the question
It's a strange course Grandma as when a person is awarded a high mark,
the masses who have just scraped through brand him a 'freak'
They imply he cheated
The masses will often prevails and the 'freak' becomes
a failure - awarded an 'E'
For the majority of time I've been attending this uni I've
thought the intellect was the key to top marks
"It would have the solutions" I thought
It is only after getting close to withdrawing and listening to
a few memorable lectures that I have realised my results
in this course depend just as much, if not more, on the
music in my soul, the emotion in my being
I think I have come to realise that while the symbols of
words and thoughts may pass subjects consistently, it is only
the reality of 'feeling' which passes subjects with life.
There is only one university which offers my course
The duration of the course differs for every student
Some take a very short while
Some a little shorter
I'm really working hard at my studies Grandma and I
hope when I graduate I do so with first class honours"
Grandma looked at me deeply and asked, "Do you think
I'm too old to enrol?"
18/12/13,700,000,005 (1991)
Enjoying our lunch
"Lamb anyone?"
"Yes please"
Chitter chatter of the day's events
"He's doing this", "They're doing that"
"What about Gorbachev?"
"I've bought a new fridge"
Grandma looks at me with one thought in mind
"You shouldn't have cancelled your course
What will become of you?
In this world you need a profession"
"Yes I know Grandma and I'm doing a course"
"You are? Tell me about it"
"It's a wonderful course and it's free to get in
There's not even a government charge!
You can choose your own subjects
And research is entirely up to you
You have a multitude of professors
Very few give lessons for you
Most give lessons for themselves
What's fascinating about my course is that people of all ages attend class
Moreover, students from all racial, cultural and socio-economic
backgrounds answer 'present' to the roll
To understand and relate to such a diversity of characters is
painstaking; but always worthwile
Unfortunately in this course there is a provision
whereby you can't obtain a 'Leave of Absence'
It has also been decreed that one cannot defer
There are only two ways out of the course:
One is to complete all studies as well as you can
The other is to withdraw
My brother withdrew - the exams were just too tough
I guess the major assignment of the course is for the older students
The task is to shape and mould their younger classmates - to help
them adapt to the rigours of study
Grandma, it saddens me that many of the seniors have little time for
the youngsters
They often seem too involved with their own research
Sometimes the juniors really play up in the Union Building
Often these younger students will repeat the very same subjects
that gave the older students trouble
Sadly, sometimes, they withdraw
Occasionally we are given group assignments
It's often difficult to function as a team as we all think we
know what the teacher wants
The most popular task undertaken by groups is called 'pairing'
This is where one male and one female choose to create
one stable, harmonious unit
I've just begun this project Grandma and I must say that the
physical touching exercise is truly blissful
It's sad that often even this favourite practice can't save many
units from breaking down
Some teachers believe such breakdowns are due to a lack
of communication amongst students
I do enjoy my 'pairing' assignment, it is fulfilling work
However, it is when I am alone, quietly studying,
that I feel most uplifted
It is at these times I can reflect on my past grades
and see clearly what homework needs be done
Very often one essay must be completed so the next can begin
Very few students in my course ever gain 'Distinctions'
A 'High Distinction' is basically out of the question
It's a strange course Grandma as when a person is awarded a high mark,
the masses who have just scraped through brand him a 'freak'
They imply he cheated
The masses will often prevails and the 'freak' becomes
a failure - awarded an 'E'
For the majority of time I've been attending this uni I've
thought the intellect was the key to top marks
"It would have the solutions" I thought
It is only after getting close to withdrawing and listening to
a few memorable lectures that I have realised my results
in this course depend just as much, if not more, on the
music in my soul, the emotion in my being
I think I have come to realise that while the symbols of
words and thoughts may pass subjects consistently, it is only
the reality of 'feeling' which passes subjects with life.
There is only one university which offers my course
The duration of the course differs for every student
Some take a very short while
Some a little shorter
I'm really working hard at my studies Grandma and I
hope when I graduate I do so with first class honours"
Grandma looked at me deeply and asked, "Do you think
I'm too old to enrol?"
18/12/13,700,000,005 (1991)
. In the News section with cats and here with a grandson