FF
July 23, 2004
Mojave 66 asks:
What were your five favorite classes in College (or in the highest educational institution you completed), and why?
In no particular order:
* Sonja Jones, who I had for two English classes, the names of which now escape me. She is the only Southern Lesbian Buddist Poet I have ever known and her classes were a hoot, full of great discussions and the occasional fit of yoga. Sonja is the first person who really encouraged me to write and mentioned that I seem to have some talent for it. She also was the first to make me realize that talent is no substitute for working your ass off. I'm not sure what where she is now. She doesn't seem to be at Allegheny anymore and there have been rumors that she is either a) living in Atlanta or b) living in India. Right now, the weather is probably the same in both places.
(In related news: The Book seems to have sold to a real publisher for enough money that I can take some time off and do nothing but write for two years. It doesn't quite seem real yet. I'm both thrilled and terrified. Woot!)
* Dr Lyons, who taught some history course about civil liberties and modes of thought. It was a tough class, frankly, even for Allegheny, which was an institution filled with tough classes. Lyons had us reading a book a week--but the variety of books was what worked so well. One week it was a weighty tome about Marxism, the next it was J.G. Ballard. The diversity helped illustrate how history isn't just dates and movements, but is the way of describing how people actually behave.
* My high school chemistry teacher, whose name I've forgotten, who informed me that "my ass is grass" if I cut another one of his classes. I still don't know what that means--but I did "apply" myself after that. In his class, at least.
* A University of Texas women's history prof, whose name I've also forgotten (sorry). Without her, I would not know who Boadicea is--and every woman should know who Boadicea is.
* Mrs Stohr and Ms Palfy, the fourth grade teachers from Hamilton Martin Elementary. Fourth grade sucked. These two women helped make it bearable by just letting me hang with them when I needed to. As a "graduation" gift, Ms Palfy gave me a copy of The Hobbit, which is by far the most engaging of Tolkien's books (imo) and is a perfect gift for a bookish 10 year old.
Other fivers on the left list. You know the drill.
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