What? Something Negative About Christian College Teachers?

Yeah. Go figure.

As I attend a nice, small Christian school (Calvin College of over 4,200), I felt that the attention of my professors would be an overall positive aspect. Unfortunately, yesterday this did not seem to be the case. Already I have been put in a very uncomfortable and unnerving position.

Here's the story:

Here at Calvin College, we have to undergo a six-week long program called Prelude. Basically, it's a one-credit course where, for two hours once a week, a group of incoming Freshmen are introduced to Calvin's mission statement and all that jazz. It doesn't sound too bad, right?

Wrong.

Guess what comes in between these nice two-hour sessions of listening to your leader (mine is the associate chaplain of our college, just my luck) drone on and on? Lots and lots and lots...and lots of homework. We have to write a nice autobiography of our lives up until the day we write it. There is a 5-page writing due on how we saw certain themes incorporated into the sessions we had in Prelude. One time we have to present a place where justice is being dealt and how it is so. Even worse is that fact that we have to read 90+ pages of random pieces of writing about philosophy, theology, worldviews, adaptation techniques, and (unfortunately) so much more.

What has become the worst thing of all has been these papers we have to write once every couple of weeks. First, we have to attend a special event (called a Part II). Then, we write all about how it relates to Calvin College, how it is important to us personally, and what exactly happened at the event.

Sounds easy to cheat, right? Well, that's what my Prelude teacher thought, and when I made a typo on who the speaker was for a service I attended, the associate chaplain got on my case. Being accused was pretty hurtful, but it was excusable as he is not aware of my academic background (and the typo was concerning the speaker, which can be a big part of the Part II writing). Oops.

Anyhow, the associate chaplain asked me for more proof that I attended the service (called LOFT, a Sunday evening chapel service). Unable to think of anything, I returned to my dorm and realized I would not have time that night as I recently became a school newspaper copy editor and would be working all night. Thus, I wrote an e-mail expressing my inability to not come up with anything other than everything that happened that night.

What was the reply I got? Lucky for the both of us, he said he finally believed me. Why lucky for the BOTH of us? Well, I hate getting a failing grade. As for him, the story would have been in the Chimes and my oh my our chaplain, Mary Hulst, would have been all over him for being such a doubting Thomas.

"So what's the big deal?" you might be asking. "Why are you whining?" To be honest, I'm just a bit dumbfounded by such assumptions, especially from an associate chaplain. I would be a bit suspicious, but if I asked the writer about a typo and they explained immediately what they meant, I think it would be pretty legitimate. To think my teacher and I are off to a bad start because I somehow implied Person A spoke instead of Person X at Event K...well, it's an issue I shall continue to observe: just how many inconveniences come with your professor knowing you more personally?

~Taylor