Maybe Charles Dickens was right in A Tale of Two Cities. The recently-completed fall 2010 semester was, indeed, the best of times, and it was the worst of times.
The worst seem to outweigh the good throughout most, however.
It was a semester of change and transition.
A semester filled with completing the move from the Virginia Annual Conference to the Kentucky Annual Conference. A semester where I looked across the classroom and did not see my usual cohorts in studies, many of whom had gone on to graduate.
It was a long semester.
I’m not sure I remember a more draining semester, both physically and mentally. At the start of the semester, I figured taking all of my classes on one day would be a breeze. I would be done in one day, and would have the rest of the week to study. However, what I learned is that 14-hours of class time, many of which included some frustrating moments, more on that in a minute, is exhausting. It would take me until late in the day Wednesday to catch-up on rest, and by Saturday I was struggling to keep up with the work.
It was a frustrating semester.
It was a semester where I felt I was going through the seminary motions. Lets be honest, there were times that I didn’t want to be here anymore. I admit that. It was mostly brought on by what Matt Stout and others have determined to be the ATS That Guy problem. I found them all, and in multiple varieties. The I Have To Be the Smartest Guy in the Room That Guy – had two of those, the UK Rules and You Don’t That Guy, and, my personal favorite, The I Don’t Know Personal Space That Guy. Each class, multiple That Guys, and it took away from the quality of the semester, which going in I believe had the potential – the potential – to be legendary.
To say that I am glad the fall semester is complete would be an understatement. I’m hesitant to get excited for the spring, even though it will be my final semester at Asbury. Maybe I’m tired of school, but ultimately I’m glad for a two week break of studies.
Shannon Blosser 