Academic Achievements & Classmate Competition

Good day friends, I hope you have all had an enjoyable week, and a desirable start to your weekend. For me this week has been fairly relaxed, having only trained Monday and Friday due to fixtures. Monday the team lost 3-0 at Rollins (#2 In The Country) and yesterday they travelled to FIT (Florida Institute Of Technology) where they play today. 

To say a win is needed is a gross understatement, although when we get our first win the tables will turn and we will continue on a run of good results. It just takes that first 3 points, “Each journey begins with a single step”...........Yeah I do quotes too.

Grace Implementing The "TBGT" Taping, And Matthew Davies Being Matthew Davies In The Background

Weather wise its been a bit of a weird week; Sunshine, Thunderstorms and a small flood that materialized extremely fast. I would say no more than 45 mins of intense rain resulted in cars stalling and me running back to my dorm bare footed. but I know if i had steeped on something sharp of fallen over I would have been in the safe hands of the training staff here at UT. The “Amazing” Grace in particular who tapes me daily as well as complimentary piggy backs to and from the ice bath.

Academically it was a good week. I demolished a quiz in English, and also received my first A........Well it was a “AB” but we don't have them in England so its still an A. The grade system at this college Is: A, AB, B, BC, C, D etc. Who knew I could break down and analyze Winnie The Pooh in such exquisite and eloquent detail.

But apart from the essays and quizzes in class, there is also something that really bugs me. There seems to be this kind of unspoken competition between two girls in one of my classes. They are both fairly intelligent but all they do is try to make each other, and the rest of the class look stupid. 

I’ll give you an example. My professor would ask “In that piece I asked you to read for today, what did you like?”. A simple question that the majority of class (along with me) would answer “I liked the descriptive language and the way I could visualize the story, great verbs and impressive metaphors, I love the way the writer links the story together” the teacher would then say “Umm Hmm, exactly, good”

One of the goodie two shoes would then inevitably raise her hand, and come out with “Well I read it as a metaphor for the terrible conditions and slave trade in India” or some other rubbish like that. You just feel that everyone is the class is thinking “What on earth are you on about” The teacher would respond with “O......Okay, interesting” after a moment of awkward silence.

But then as if that wasn't bad enough. the other 19 year old rocket scientist would raise her hand and just totally disagree with what the other girl said, and it happens every lesson! “Well I didn't actually see it in that way at all!, I read it as a metaphor for the way we treat wales in all corners of the earth”. There is then a 7 second awkward silence until the teacher says “Yes, Umm, Umm hmm, Okay moving on” later on in the lesson we may be asked to underline parts of the story we liked. Everyone follows instructions and does so. But not the two female Einstein's. They will reach into there backpack and retrieve a pencil case with 172 different shades of highlighter in, then proceed to start color coding the piece.

It is just not needed, just come to class, answer the questions, write some notes then leave. Sure have your input but don't try and graduate before you've moved into your dorm. 

Ahhh, I feel better now that I've had my rant on here, And I now have a HDTV infused with cable which includes all the premier league matches a therapeutic system that helps me get through my weeks here.

Posts will now be every Saturday with possible mini posts on a Wednesday. Have a great weekend and a tolerable week.

Thanks for reading,

Ty.