new friends intro, part 1
Last night we had some school friends over for some meat hot off our shiny new grill. Among those attending (and the last to leave) were a couple who I had met when I visited for prospective student weekend in February.
Everything Guy is in Math Ed like me, has had a very different experience and perspective, yet has many of the same questions as I do. I call him Everything Guy because he seems to know about/how to do Everything. Not in an annoying know-it-all kind of way, because he is generally pretty quiet. Not because he is shy, but because he only says relevant, interesting, and funny things. He must never have those cringing moments where he sits at home days afterward still wishing he hadn’t said whatever it is that made everyone in the room embarrassed for him. I’ve often wished that I could be like that; that girl in class who so rarely speaks that, when she finally does raise her hand, everyone knows that something really good must be coming. Instead I find that either I have to sit through class silently day after day, or blather on until I hit on something valuable. On really good days I am quiet for an hour and a half, then realize that I haven’t said anything and the professor might think that I haven’t done the reading, so I finally interject something inane and barely relevant, just to prove that I have been doing my homework. Needless to say, we like Everything Guy.
His wife, The Theater Professor, is equally cool, though for different reasons. She, of course, teaches theater. The first night I met her was the night during prospective student weekend where current doctoral students took us out for beers downtown. Deep into many cans of PBR, The Theater Professor and I got into a conversation about her teaching, and how she works with her students. We discovered that we have very similar (though not articulated or named) theories of learning, and were really excited to talk about it. I’ve wanted to be her friend ever since, and knowing that they were coming here made my own decision somewhat easier.
Be assured that you will be hearing more about Everything Guy and The Theater Professor in the future.
