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opinion 11
Volume 104, Issue 32
supplied
Things we should have learned Opinion Staff
group commentary
The school years seem to be going by faster and faster. There were probably a number of things we should have learned in class this year, but we didn’t pay attention. The Gateway has compiled a list of lessons we should have remembered.
Hannah Madsen Doing laundry is a common chore associated with living on your own, and sometimes it comes with its own unique complications. It’s also something I should have learned. Remembering which clothes have to be washed with which colours and on which temperatures is bad enough, but I frequently find that I forget to clean out my pockets, too. After catching tubes of lipstick in my jeans’ pockets on more than one occasion right before everything went into the washing machine, you’d think that I would have learned to check my pockets every time I did laundry — but no, I haven’t. Now I have experienced the final outcome of my repeated mistake: one such tube of lipstick dissolved and melted all over my clothes in the dryer yesterday. Bath towels? Ruined. Best — and only properly-sized — pair of work pants? Covered in rose splotches, which are super-obvious despite the slacks themselves being black. My favorite jeans escaped unscathed somehow, but just about everything else from that load is ruined. To make matters worse, the clothes went through the dryer twice, so the lipstick stains are stuck in my clothing and towels for good. Even after this, I’m sure that this exact situation is doomed to repeat itself, because there are so many
more things that get prioritized before cleaning out my pockets and putting my jeans in the laundry. Hopefully the next forgotten item is just a tin of Carmex, rather than an almost-brand-new lipstick with a loose cap.
Helen Quevillon This year I should’ve learnt how to spell propperly and use proper grammer. Both are skills that I have struggled with for years and if it wasn’t for spell check and autocorrect I would stuggle to a much greater degree to communicate in written forms. Just the thought of spelling tests in grade school terified me and I was very happy when I got placed in special, more focused English class with the hope that I would be able to one day spell. Somehow I have made it this far still lacking the abillity spell, though I do know how to use a dictionary to find words even when I have no idea what letter they start with. I have rewritten entire sentices to avoid using words I can’t figure out how to spell or to prevent myself from using strange grammer rules. Well I’m aware that ; have a use I’m still not clear with how or when to use it. The difference between dashes, emdahsed, endashes, and hyphnes still enludes me, though I don’t think I’m unique with that. I have no doubt that my editors love my inability to speel words in English or understand some of the more obsucure gramerical rules. It’s part of what makes my writng “special”.
David Kim It’s a lesson we learn young: bumping into teachers outside of school is weird. What should be a passing exchange of pleasantries quickly devolves into an awkward exchange, nearly always starting with a long, drawn-out: “So...” This was a lesson I had forgotten. A few Fridays ago, I saw my prof
kicking back with some friends on Whyte. I visit her office hours often. Thinking — stupidly — that she might recognize me, I said hi but she had no clue who I was. It was humiliating. Eventually, she recognized who I was, but I wish she hadn’t as it led to a painfully forced conversation which ended with her walking away looking rather defeated. I think I ruined her night. Unless you have a friendly relationship beyond the classroom, know that profs are not eager to befriend students. They don’t want to talk about your project due on Monday just because it is the only common ground for conversation between you. They’re people. They want to get home and unwind after a long week of dealing with you. So when you see teachers outside your natural place of interaction, let them be. Otherwise, you’ll have to weigh the options between another awkward encounter or getting your questions answered a week before finals.
Darcy Ropchan I say the same thing every year, but I suppose I really should have learned how to manage my time better. To give you a little insight into my life, I ‘m a chronic procrastinator. It’s become a detrimental, life-destroying problem for me. I’ll get an assignment from my prof three months in advance, but for some reason, I just can’t get going until around 24 hours before it’s due. I’ll inevitably have to pull a caffeine and rage-filled all-nighter where I attempt to write a 15-page paper in under six hours. With blood, sweat and a whole lot of tears, the paper somehow gets done. Perhaps the worst part about all of this is that I end up getting a decent mark on the paper — a decent mark in my opinion, anyways. I obviously don’t want to fail an assignment, but it seems like I may never learn my lesson.