Tracy Revels

Creatively Scary

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays.  I like the playfulness and the opportunity to 'dress up'; it's a nice reminder of being a kid.  Though quite frankly, when I was a child, Halloween in the country wasn't very exciting.  City kids don't realize how lucky they are to be able to walk around a neighborhood, collecting candy and treats.  Those of us with rural backgrounds had to rely on how willing our parents were to drive us long distances.  I honestly believe every Halloween of my childhood fell on a school night, because I don't remember trick or treating at more than two or three houses!  Fortunately, I grew up in an age when public schools were still permitted to have Halloween carnivals, and we always had lots of fun with the apples, dunking booths, and cake walks.  I get a big grin out of seeing Wofford students hosting similar festivities for local children.  I also suspect that the Wofford students are having as much or even more fun than the kiddies are!

Another pleasure of the day after Halloween is scanning Facebook for pictures from student parties. Our Wofford students are pretty creative when it comes to their costumes.  I've spotted flappers, ghouls, superheroes, and even the Mad Hatter and the Brawny Paper Towel man.  The Wofford faculty also had a Halloween party, and I think our students would be proud of our creativity as well---Cleopatra appeared (minus her snake!), as well as the Milky Way, several wicked witches, a Nerd, the Prisoner, and even a Musketeer.  Halloween is perfect timing.  Midway through the semester, having just issued midterm grades, many of us feel the need to be a little crazy in order to preserve our sanity for the long downhill stretch to Finals.

I've always thought a good costume made you look like something you're definitely NOT, but some of my students might think I'm 'undead' in class on occasion.  And I definitely feel like a zombie after tackling a pipe of freshman papers.

Brighten Up A Rainy Day

This was a wet, soggy, cold, miserable week on campus.  But my days were brightened by the many compliments on my umbrella. A gift from a friend, it's the only umbrella I've ever been able to hang on to for more than a few weeks.  Shaped like an old pop bottle top, it's crowned with a cat face that resembles my kitty, Miss Sugar!

Wofford photographer Mark Olencki caught me coming out of Burwell on Thursday.

Here's hoping that next week---and especially Fall Break---will bring some sunny days we can all get out and enjoy.

Midterms Are Here

It doesn't seem possible, but it's true---midterms are upon us.  Every student I talk to is either studying for a test or writing a paper.  As always, students complain about having these important events cluster in a roughly two week period.  Some of them even suspect conspiracies on the part of faculty members, that we purposefully plot to make their lives miserable just before Halloween.

I promise, there is no conspiracy.  Instead, there is something called a calender, which we must abide by. We have to have midterm grades in by a certain date!  And to give grades, we have to give assignments. It is not so complicated, and I always argue that it is good preparation for real life.  Do students think the stresses of work and family will always be doled out to them on an even basis?  Sorry Wofford students, but here's the deal about becoming an adult---in the future you will have a major project due for your boss on the same day that your car breaks down, you lose your cell phone, your roof starts leaking, and your kid gets chicken pox.  Midterms are just good practice for the many collisions of obligations you will have in life after college.

At least with midterms you get a warning!

Wofford College, Where Quizzes Are Fun!

Well, maybe that's an overstatement.  But the students in my American Women's History are all good sports and were happy to smile and look very studious during their most recent quiz.

Let's hope their grades are as bright as their smiles!

The Simple Gift

Two days ago, I was working late in my office when I heard a knock on my door.  One of my students from this year's interim was in the hall.  She wanted to tell me how she'd met someone who owned a piece of "mourning jewelry."  In the interim, she'd made a report on Victorian funeral and mourning customs, and she'd linked the information from her report to a deduction about an acquaintance's unusual antique pin.  She remembered the content from her report and utilized the observational skills we discussed in our Sherlock Holmes class.

I was so proud, and not just because it proved that she'd retained and applied information. I was beaming because she came back to tell me about it!  These are the kind of simple gifts that our students give us.  And I don't think they can ever imagine how much we appreciate them.

Whose Homecoming Is It Anyway?

One thing I've always been a bit confused about, over my entire life in the academy, is the exact meaning of Homecoming.  When I was in high school, Homecoming was naturally a big event, a time to make floats, choose beauty queens, pray for a date to the dance, and pin flowers to band uniforms. Oh, and there was a football game too. I think we might have even won one.

But it always seemed to me that Homecoming was for the students who were in school, not the ones who had already graduated.  I rarely saw people return for the game. I never saw anyone with a 'Class of 59' or 'Senior 78'  t-shirt.

At FSU, Homecoming was also a big event with little relevance to the people who had walked out of the gates of Doak Campbell Stadium with a degree in hand.  It meant a big pep rally (the PowWow) with a band and a nationally famous comedian and a huge parade that tied up College Avenue for half a day.  I'd hear about reunions and 'grads made good,' but the university was so big that returning graduates never seemed real to me.  I've never been back to FSU for Homecoming, and I don't feel anything especially sentimental toward the FSU Class of 1985. 

At Wofford, everything is different, and I think I've finally figured out what Homecoming means.  We're smaller than so many high schools, and people get to know almost everyone in their graduating class.  People who graduated before 1990 usually DO know everyone in their class!  They love to return, they're proud of their classmates' accomplishments.  They keep up with what is going on here, because they love the place so much.  And they always want to show off their kids and grandkids (usually in cute little Wofford outfits).  That's not to say that current Wofford students aren't caught up in the festivities as well, with trivia contests, and the Mr. Wofford competition, and the street party and (oh yes) the football game.  But what strikes me the most is how the two groups, alumni and current students, both enjoy Homecoming and make it a memorable occasion.  It doesn't exist just for one or the other.

I always envy Wofford grads and students at Homecoming.  It's an experience that those of us who went to big schools can only share on the edges. 

Murder Weapons In Class!

My Humanities students had their doubts about the effectiveness of the murder weapon in "The Adventure of the Speckled Band."  So in class on Friday we had a great opportunity to let science meet art.  As you can tell by the expressions, my students had varying levels of enthusiasm for getting the opportunity to handle Dr. Roylott's favorite pet!

Afterward, they made their way through the animal kingdom, thinking of creatures that might be just as deadly and perhaps more trainable.  All I can say is do not make an enemy of any of my HUM 101E students!  They are a very cunning lot.  Let's hope they don't become the "first of criminals."

And here's a big tip of the deerstalker to Dr. John Moeller of the Wofford Biology department and his pals "Big Killer," "Little Killer" and "Tiny Killer."

The Purest Form Of Learning

I had a great experience as a faculty member last night.  I was walking back to my office when a group of students who were sitting behind Old Main waved me over.  It was the Wesley Fellowship, and with them were Rev. Robinson and Dr. Abercrombie.  As I walked up, a young woman asked "Can you tell me all about the Civil War in 30 seconds?"

Talk about a challenge!  Leave it to Wofford students to come up with a good one.

I'm not sure that I  adequately described the Civil War in thirty seconds!  But fortunately, that question was followed by an explanation from a young woman as to why she wanted so much information so fast.  She hadn't taken American history since 10th grade, and she felt that because she hadn't studied it in much detail, she was missing some of the nuances of the Religion in the South class.  So she asked another question.  And another.  And then the person on the other side of the table chimed in, followed by the person in the back.  It was all that we could do to handle those inquiries!  And it literally took all three of us, because the questions were not just about history---they were about Southern culture and faith and even a bit of biology.

It was absolutely exhilarating.  Not only were the questions good, they were honest.  I had the feeling that here, in a circle of friends, over pizza and soda, the students were getting to the heart of things, letting their curiosity lead them.  Outside of a classroom, removed from tests and papers and ticking clocks, they cut straight to the chase.  They had questions.  We (hopefully) had some answers.

As I walked away, I thought how much I wish this experience could be repeated every night of the school week. For many Wofford students, the moments of greatest discovery aren't going to happen in classrooms or labs, they're going to arrive through conversation, discussion, and even laughter.

Use The Force, George Washington!

I never know what I'll find when looking for pictures for power-point presentations.  I think this may be the ultimate in revisionist history!

What We Envy

I think it's a pretty open secret that college professors envy their students.  We look at them and covet their youth, their enthusiasm, and especially their energy levels.  We wish we still had college student-size waistlines or hairstyles (or just hair!).  Some of us begrudge being too old to wear their cool clothes; others wish we could hear like they do, and still be able to attend a rock concert without going deaf.

But I think the thing we envy the most is their time.  Certainly Wofford students are very busy with classes and activities.  But most of them have that one pleasure we no longer possess, at least during the school year---time to read.

Of course, reading is essential to being a college professor.  We're all keeping pace with classes, and for our courses a great amount of re-reading is involved. I know the Sherlockian canon backward and forward, but I'm not comfortable unless I get to read the stories again before we discuss them in class.  It doesn't matter that I know 'whodunit' already.

Reading is also essential to planning new courses and interims.  I'm inheriting a wealth of Dr. Racine's classes, and when I look at all the reading I need to catch up on before I can teach the Old South, New South, Civil War, South Carolina, and Salem Witchcraft classes, I'm caught between awe and despair.  How will I ever find the time to do all of this?

Plus, we need to read because reading is a defining factor of being an academic.  We can't rely just on television or the internet.  Most of us still devour newspapers and journals.  These are assignments we make to ourselves, because it's who we are and what we feel the need to model for our young people.

Oh, and did I mention that most Wofford professors have real lives as well?  With families and children, spouses and companions, cats and dogs.  (Or, if you're a Wofford biologist, maybe a snake or rat or crayfish.)  We're not monks, we have lives in this world, and they often involve not only the interactions that we cherish with our loved ones, but things like housekeeping, bill-paying, and cooking. 

And that's why we envy our students and their time to read.  All of us remember some good old days when we could curl up in a library chair or crash on a dorm room futon with the written word.  It might have been a class assignment, it might have been just a trashy novel, but it was a wonderful pleasure.  At eighteen and twenty, we couldn't know how rare that delight would become once we changed into the people giving the assignments and grading the papers.

I doubt that any Wofford students read this blog, but if you are a Wofford student, stop right now!  Read something fun.  Something challenging.  Something thought-provoking and amazing.  Now is the time, while you have the time!

Meanwhile, we'll all be in our offices, trying to steal a minute to read a few pages before class starts.