school
being in graduate school definitely has its advantages, like not making money and having to take exams, but there are subtle differences between graduate school and elementary school that make me yearn for the happy days of my childhood. for example, we have lunch now like we had lunch when we were little. but in elementary school lunch meant sitting with your class and discussing video games while the international student who just moved to america sat a few seats away by himself and ate his native food while others pointed and laughed. and friday was pizza day. now we’re told neither where nor what to eat and, consequently, lunch is less fun. people study during lunch. people attend optional lectures during lunch. students of foreign ethnicities are allowed to eat undisturbed. and because pizza is only a short walk away, no day is pizza day. class is not as fun as it used to be. no passing notes, no fake fart noises to break the boredom, no fire drills, no inside jokes. i remember in fifth grade during the NCAA tournament we would get to take a 30 minute break during history class on days that UConn was playing and they would wheel in a t.v. and we’d get to watch the game. i’m afraid that doesn’t happen anymore. the closest we get to watching a basketball game during class is listening to the lecturer lecture during class. there are advantages to graduate school, however. for one, hopefully, we study with the knowledge that this is for real the last time we’re going to be in school. that is all.
