Spring has arrived, little by little, and now it’s here in full bloom. Sunny days and warm temperatures have finally returned to Seattle, and Bellevue College is finishing its last few weeks of school. With the fine weather and bright sunshine, I’ve been enticed several times to just forget about classes and go outside instead. I’m guessing that I’m not alone in this temptation, so for all of you other students who feel the tug to abandon the last few hours of lectures, here’s some reasons for staying strong and finishing well.
First of all, remember that we only have a week or so left until we’re finished! While all of us are groaning for school to be over and done with, we actually don’t have much time left at all. I’m already counting down the days, and it’s nice to finish a class and check off one more class period. Also, finals week is approaching. These last few lectures are probably going to have some last-minute important things you need to know for your test, not to mention your teacher may have participation points or keep attendance. If you miss more than ten days of class in a quarter, you automatically fail the course. So keep coming to class—it may help (or save) your grade.
Lately I’ve been bugged by classmates skipping class. They disappear for an important lecture, then reappear the next day and begin asking everyone questions about what they missed. If they have a valid reason for missing class, I have no problem lending them my notes, but if they just decided out of the blue, “Oh, I went to the beach with my friends instead,” then forget it! I’m not letting them have the answers and notes that I worked so hard to get. No way. I couldn’t care less about their grade because they decided to skip.
Another thing that bugs me is when the students who skipped class spend the whole lecture trying to learn what the rest of the class was taught yesterday. These aren’t the students who asked for notes; they’re the ones who ask the professor questions the whole period because they have no idea what’s going on. Sometimes the professor will answer the questions; other times I’ve seen the professor give the punks a look that says, “If you came to class yesterday, you would know this.” Seriously! It ticks me off because they’re slowing the rest of us down. Grrr…
So even though the sun is shining and the birds are singing, it’s not time to lie in a hammock and take a nap. Keep going to class; there’s only a week or so left anyway. If you can’t stop thinking about the sunshine, call a friend and schedule a time to hang out after finals. Plan ahead so that when you do have time to relax in the sun, you won’t have to waste time trying to find time between graduations, sleeping in and work. And good luck on your finals!