Memory Mine

Thinking back to my experience in various English classes, there is one that stands out to me. This class does not come to mind for a good reason either. I have never been a fan of any English class that I’ve attended. When it comes to reading and writing, I enjoy it when it’s in MY control. The idea of being forced to write an essay over a topic that I dislike or having to trudge through a boring book just because my teacher says so, bothers me. One of my most difficult classes that I have ever taken was my senior year literature and composition class. My teacher (who was as old a dinosaur) was the most unsympathetic lady that I have ever encountered. She was bossy, a hard grader, and loved to pile on the busy work. This teacher had so much practice at putting down students that you could tell she was a professional at it. I went into this classroom at 7:35 am every other day. She always came to class prepared with the nastiest attitude that she could create and she was ready to ruin your day before it even started. It wasn’t just the teacher that made this class so unbearable. When I walked into her room every other day, I had to mentally prepare myself for the migraine that I was going to obtain for the next few days. This lady was so obsessed with the smell of sugar cookies that she put in 4 new scented wax cubes into her wax burner each day. Mind you, 1 cube lasts me a couple of days. On top of the potent smell of sugar cookies, her room was also a maze. There was a clutter wherever you went. Even the surface of her desk was unorganized. It all makes sense to me now why so many of everyone’s assignments went missing. Trying to find your desk in the morning was like going through an obstacle course. You had to break a sweat while both trying to find your seat and while you sat at your seat. One of the things that bugged me the most about this room was that it was boiling hot. My teacher was an old lady which meant that the thermostat was going to be cranked up all the way or someone was going to get hurt. It was difficult to focus on completing work while you’re dripping in sweat. Even though the class had a handful of challenges, I got to read some nice books in there. I enjoyed “Dante’s Inferno,” “Hamlet,” and “Brave New World.” All three of those books kept me on my toes and made me eager to read the next chapter. Obviously, some of the chapters were a bit challenging and confusing but I pushed through them. It was nice to be reading those books with a small group of students so that I could ask any questions that I had about the text. Receiving a decent grade in the class took a lot of time and hard work. I was constantly studying, reading, or writing. I send good luck to any seniors in that class right now.