Why must I put up with such stupidity? I can already tell I am going to hate this class. I look around me at the other hundred or more students that make up my social psych class.
“Isn’t it true that blondes have more fun?” responds a girl in the far back row with long bleach blond hair. Laughing along with the rest of the class (except me) the professor holds up his hands for quiet. Not even waiting for the room to quiet down, professor Ryan asked the class… “how do you think this might be the case or how might people perceive that this is the case?”
I let out a sigh of despair. It has been nearly thirty minutes into our class and we haven’t even started on the material assigned for today.
“That could be one reason that people think blondes have more fun.” The professor stated with an undertone of mischievousness.
He would always do that. Rather than force the class to focus on what was supposed to be taught in the class, he would instead let the class carry him along on the long winded tangents on the most vulgar and idiotic topics that are related to the class. There he goes again.
“What do you males find most attractive in a female?”
“big boobs” half the females respond instantly, followed closely by everyone (except me) laughing.
The professor chuckles to himself. Looking at him, I note the usual rolled up long sleeve button up shirt he likes to wear. His slacks and shoes are hidden behind the computer and overhead projector desk he also uses as a podium. This is not what draws my attention to him. What does draw my attention are the fatigued looking eyes that always have dark lines underneath them.
Every movement is done with a kind of slow laziness. I got the feeling that he didn’t really want to be here teaching this class. Could it be that he doesn’t want to look over the material assigned for today and is instead enjoying the crude immature comments being made by the rest of the class?
The professor turns in my direction and for what could have been no longer than a half second but felt as though it lasted several minutes, we locked eyes. In that moment, he seemed to be daring me to go along with the class…to give into the desire to be like everyone else. Without wavering, I stare back at him. My face is a mask of determination. He seemed to waver under my punishing gaze, as if I forced him to feel the guilt for allowing this childishness to occur. The smile fell from his lips, and his eyes closed as he looked away. I had not blinked or moved a muscle during that contest of wills.
Taking a small breath as if resigned to a fate he wanted to avoid, he spoke to the class “Okay…we do really need to talk about what I assigned for us today.” With a quick look in my direction…I gave a nearly imperceptible nod of approval as we began to talk about social psychology.
Great job! The description of the standoff between Professor Ryan and the narrator was particularly good. I like how you describe the way the professor dresses - the rolled up, long sleeved button down shirt. Watch out for grammatical errors. For instance, I noticed a couple areas where the first letter in the first word of what someone was saying wasn't capitalized. Also, pay attention to the shifting of tenses in the same paragraph, especially in paragraph two.
ReplyDeleteI've totally had that professor! Great description of the professor and how he managed (or didn't manage as the case may be) class, it really provides context to his character. I particularly enjoyed how he responded to the dare between the professor and the student - the professor's response really fit in with the previous description of "slow laziness."
ReplyDeleteThis is excellent work, Kurt. It does sadden me, however that there is a professor that would allow this nonsense in their classroom. The dialogue at the very beginning was a little difficult to follow, but once I started over I understood better. Don't think it was as much due to your writing as it was my reading though.
ReplyDeleteHi Randall, I like your sketch. Great writing. But I finish more interested in the first-person narrator than in the professor, who seems shallow in comparison. Interesting material. dw
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