Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Confession Wednesday: Finals
Today is a good day.
It's the last day of classes.
Which means, tomorrow is the first day of finals.
Why does that make today such a good day?
It's simple, really. It's because I just work here. If I were still in school, I'm sure I'd have a completely different opinion.
And this whole end-of-the-semester finals time has got me a little...I dunno. Nostalgic, maybe. Reflective? Grateful I made it out of college with my life and most of my dignity?
I know I once told you about this...very memorable French Professor--
(Are those supposed to be capitalized? Does anyone know?)
--affectionately nicknamed G Funk by my good pal, Dustin.
Because of the tinyness of the French Department at my alma mater, taking multiple classes with G Funk was unfortunately unavoidable. At least, if you wished to escape with any sort of a degree.
It was my last semester. My family was flying in the next day to watch me walk across the stage and collect my empty-but-ceremonial diploma holder. It was the LAST final I would have to take. Ever. Unless I changed my mind about law school or something.
I was scheduled to work at 5pm, and G Funk had told us to take the final in the Testing Center by Thursday. Figuring I would use as much cramming time as possible, and knowing it would take approximately 90 minutes to complete the exam, I decided to head over to the school a few minutes before 3, get my Very Last Final knocked out, and then go to work.
The main Testing Center had no record of any French exams being dropped off, and they suggested I try the other, smaller center.
Fighting off a glimmer of panic, I headed across campus to the basement of the Social Sciences building.
"Oh, he picked that test up a couple of hours ago," a semi-friendly employee said.
She might have said more, but at that point, all I could hear was the sound of churning stomach acid as I forced myself not to vomit on her shoes.
Family. Flying. Tomorrow.
Graduation.
Tears.
There were tears. They stung my eyes and I willed them to stop. I was not going to do this. Not now. Not when I had to do the one thing I always dreaded. The one thing whose avoidance might be worth failing a class.
I had to visit G Funk's office and PRAY that he was still there. And PRAY that he was merciful.
The door was open.
Caught somewhere between panic, devastation, and anger, I burst into his office.
"You said we had until today to take the final!" My voice wasn't accusing. It was pleading. I hated the sound of it.
"I posted a message online that I was picking them up at noon." His expression was unreadable. Would he be kind? Or would he relish in this opportunity to fail me?
He reached for a file folder and withdrew a stack of stapled papers.
"You can sit at the desk right out there." A wave of his hand indicated the alcove just outside his office door. "Take all the time you need."
He passed the test across the desk.
"Karen?" He stopped me as I turned toward the table. I turned back, unable to contain the waterworks the flooded my eyes. "Take a minute to compose yourself first. You'll do better."
It was not the last time I would face G Funk. It was not the last time I would feel a bit of loathing toward the old man, or that he would hold my future in a thin manila envelope.
But it was the last time I accused him of being heartless.
So....did you ever cheat on a history test? Oversleep and miss an exam? Forget your finals schedule and show up for the wrong class on the wrong day?
Confess!
**And there is STILL TIME to contribute to my Giveaway Extraordinaire!
Please email me at apeekatkarensworld@gmail.com .**
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How funny. I just posted about a test as well (although not one I took.)
ReplyDeleteWhen I was pregnant with Bug, I had been so sick that I missed quite a bit of my cellular biology class. I had done well enough on the first three exams that the final wouldn't affect my grade. But I still felt compelled to sit for the exam. I opened up the test and realized that with all my absences, I didn't know a single thing on the exam. I didn't want to turn in an empty exam, so I answered what I could, and drew pictures of cells dividing and smiley faces on the rest. I got an e-mail from my TA. "Very funny. Good luck with your new baby."
Gosh, I should have saved that for my own post.
The one story I can remember wasn't actually any of the above.
ReplyDeleteBut it was on one of my math test finals. I was certain I had gotten a D on it. When I went to get my score, on the screen at the BYU testing center, there it was. A 92%!! The best grade I ever received in that class.
I was once in an Honors seminar on American History, and was picked to be part of a debate on whether John Brown was a hero or a villian when considering the raid on Harper's Ferry. I had studied and prepared like never before because the professor was my very favorite of all time. I can't tell you the number of hours I'd put into preparing for this debate.
ReplyDeleteMy class started at 10am. I woke up at 9:40am. I lived approximately 20 miles from campus. I literally screamed when I saw what time it was. I threw on clothes, threw my hair into a ponytail and despite the fact it was raining at the time, I drove like a mad woman to get to class. I arrived 15 minutes late....just as my turn at the podium came up. I hadn't heard anything that was said before that, so how could I possibly debate anything? It was a complete disaster.
I totally lied about oversleeping and instead said I was in a car accident. I still feel awful, both about being late and about lying to my favorite professor.
Capitalize French, not professor. ;o) I always dream I miss crucial exams or can't find my way to the class. Your experience just sounds like a nightmare.
ReplyDeleteSo, the old man did have a heart! I'm glad to hear it. I had teachers like that. You know, I didn't like them, but then they did something kind and proved my opinion of them wrong.
ReplyDeletewow, he does have a heart!
ReplyDeleteI don't have anything worth confessing....the worst thing I did was skip a few classes I hated the minimum amount of times allowed, which was only 3 per class I believe. ugh.
I meant the maximum times allowed to skip each class. oops.
ReplyDeleteMy worst story is kind of like what Katherine wrote. I had missed several classes due to some other family issues I was going through and when I showed up to the final I really didn't know any of the answers so instead I just wrote a letter to the professor apologizing for my absences and horrible performance in his class. It was horrible. I didn't pass that class. Oh well.
ReplyDeleteI don't have anything interesting to confess....high school seems like such a blur today, LOL
ReplyDeleteYou are so funny, Karen....
..this made me laugh out loud
"all I could hear was the sound of churning stomach acid as I forced myself not to vomit on her shoes."
Oh goodness me! That sounds like a moment that is hard to forget. I am racking my brain thinking back to finals...but I can't think of anything worth mentioning.
ReplyDeleteMy most memorable finals season was the year of the Rodney King thing, and there were riots at my school the whole time. I spent every night in my boyfriend's dorm room, because I lived on the ground floor and it wasn't safe. My Resident Assistant TOLD me to go stay in my boyfriend's room, even though that was NOT allowed.
ReplyDeleteI never, ever cheated on my weekly AP Art History quizzes. Nope. Never ever. Certainly not every week. Never.
ReplyDeleteI never missed an exam, but I did go to an Organic Chemistry (after a disastrous semester where I didn't understand a single thing) and the only thing I wrote on that exam was my name and a doodle of a snowman. I sat there doodling until the first student left and then I turned in my exam and left as well. Needless to say I failed that class. It was not a happy semester for me.
ReplyDeleteI never did anything like that but to this day I still have nightmares that I'm in school and there's a math class that I just realized I have and it's halfway through the semester. I'm doomed to fail it because I haven't even been going and it's too late to drop.
ReplyDeleteAm I aware that I'm almost 30 and not in high school/college anymore?
Apparently not.