Last Day of School

Today was my last day of going to classes at OU.  I have some independent study and a French exam that I have to take this summer. I also have my thesis to write over the next two semesters, but if all goes according to plans, I am no longer going to attend a regularly meeting class.  It's a weird feeling.  I've been going to school at OU off and on since 1988.  I told my classmates that I really appreciated how great the classes I took this semester were and that I really loved how supportive we were of each other. When I was saying it, I felt a lump in my throat. I could also feel some tears.  I'm not worried about the learning coming to an end.  That will continue the rest of my life.  And I still have so much work to do to finish this degree, so I'm not feeling like anything has come to a close.

But what a blessing, honor and luxury to get to go to school and to have someone who knows so much more than you help guide you through all of the relevant information, issues and concepts.  I can't number how many times I stopped this semester and just enjoyed being in class. The discussions have been my favorite part.

One day, recently, my Material Culture course had class outside.  We studied a sculpture just east of the library by Allan Houser.  We were all sitting around on the grass, discussing the sculpture and all of it's possible meanings, purely by looking at the object.  The weather was perfect, the conversation was rich and enlightening and I'll never forget being right in the moment.  I didn't want to be anywhere else.  That alone is a blessing, but when you combine it with such a great learning experience, it just doesn't get much better than that.

Allan Houser, Homeward Bound, 1988, Bronze

I love learning.  I love learning with and from other people.  It's fun! It's also stressful sometimes (like right now because I still have my two papers I'm working on that I will turn in next week.) but it's worth it.  I am so grateful for all of the time over the past 22 years that I have been able to either be the student or the teacher.

I'm pretty sure that's why I want to start a school. I don't ever want these experiences to end!