High Caliber Preparedness

The math department has inspired me to blog about the resourcefulness of William and Mary students.  These students are not only talented and bright but they are also unnecessarily prepared.  That’s great for students like me who are unprepared when it comes to class and unprepared professors also benefit from their students’ preparedness. For instance, my math professor was trying to turn on the computer projector with the remote control.  However, the remote was not working because the batteries had run out of energizer bunnies. So, I’m sure you are thinking, the professor went to his office pulled out batteries in his huge supply closet, ran up three flights of stairs, and class would commence.  Of course… that is not what happened because this is William and Mary!  Instead, a guy in the back row of the class yells “I have batteries you can use professor!” He pulls out a twelve pack of AA energizer batteries and gives them to the professor.  I feel like this would only happen in the math department because math students carry around a lot of things that have batteries including graphing calculators, pencil sharpeners, and flashlights[1] Honestly, who wants to run out of batteries while you are playing Block dude during a non-stimulating class at 8am? After that back row guy pulled out that 12 pack, I almost wanted to ask him for AAA batteries so I could finish my very important calculator games but I refrained since all my attention should be focused on the lecture at hand.

The most recent occurrence of high caliber preparedness tops the battery situation on many levels.  Another professor in the math department was having technical difficulties with his computer mouse.  As he announced that he would have to go to his office to retrieve another mouse, a guy in a back row seat[2] held up a computer mouse complete with the cord connection for the professor to use.  Now, if that isn’t prepared, I don’t know what is!  These two instances have created a Rule of Thumb for math courses held in Jones Hall: if you DO NOT have random objects in your backpack for professors to use when technical glitches occur, DO NOT sit in the back of your math class because the back row carries large expectations[3].

Wherever you are, whatever you don’t have, I am positive a William and Mary student in your row has exactly what you need and is willing to let you borrow it.  Oftentimes when you are looking for a stapler[4], a peer nearby has one in the small pocket of their knapsack that you can use.  And even on those rare occasions that you need a hole punch, a student nearby may have one in the side pocket of their back pack because they make them flat and easy for carrying now! William and Mary students are prepared and you never know what you will find in their book bags, so do not hesitate to ask.

[1] To aid in night travel

[2] That seat might have been the same seat as the battery guy

[3] That is exactly why I sit in the front row of all my classes

[4] Professors never bring a stapler to class even though they assign papers that need to be stapled