College

       Every morning on our way to school, Tyler and I drive by the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology...most people just call it School of Mines.  We drive by between 7:15 and 7:30 and we always see one of two things, or both things.  Sometimes we see college students running to class so that they will not be late, and we also may see a college professor (easily distinguished from a college student) rushing to get to class so he is not late to teach.  Many mornings when we drive by I will say to Tyler, "I really miss college."  The first time I said that, he looked at me a little strange, but after a few minutes he said, "I guess I miss parts of college too".  As we said what we missed about it, it was different things...
       Tyler first of all missed the good times that he had in the dorm with the other guys.  He missed all the deep (and some not so deep) conversations that they had about different issues and on different topics.  Another thing he really misses is being able to sit under a teacher and be the one taught, rather than the one teaching.  We both wish we could go back and just learn more...you can never get to the point where you have learned "enough" or all that you need.
       I also miss the learning, but there are some things that I miss more than that.  I think two of the things that I miss the most about college are tests and projects, specifically reports.  To me, each test was a challenge to see how much I had really learned...the most challenging were those in my Biology class, which included: Botany, Zoology, Anatomy & Physiology, and Micro Biology.  A report was also a challenge to me of how much information I could gather through my own research, and how well I could put it into my own words.  Turning in a paper or a test that you have worked hard for gives such a great feeling of accomplishment.  I remember one night in which I finished a Zoology report on Killer Whales until about 3:00 AM, slept for an hour, and then got up and studied for my Zoology final until 5:30.  I was very worn out and sick from all the coffee I drank, but when I was able to turn everything in, it was very, very rewarding.  One last thing that I missed about college is student teaching.  I enjoyed every minute of it, and I learned SO MUCH myself.  One of my college teachers said that the test of a true teacher is whether that teacher can put into her students' heart the same love that she has for what she is teaching.  As I taught, I would think of that often.
       I know there is a much larger paragraph about what I miss about college than what Tyler misses, but he is not here with me, and I cannot remember everything that he said, but I know I have the basic details.
      I cannot believe that I am now a college graduate...it seems as if I was just in 7th grade, and finishing high school seemed far away.  Our lives go by so quickly, which is a reminder that whether we are in junior high, high school, college, or completely done, we need to be using every day for the Lord, because there is no way that we can take yesterday back.