It's actually okay - even in grad school - to have a stuffed animal. Parker had a teddy bear. Parker would tell the bear all the problems they faced, the worries they had, the successes, the failures forward.
And every time the teddy bear would say, "I love you THIS much." It always freaked Parker out a little bit because they didn't think teddy bears should talk.
Later Parker would discover their roommate hiding behind the couch.
Shortly after that Parker would get a new roommate.
Frankie really believed in the health benefits of apple juice. Frankie also thought maybe drinking a LOT of apple juice would make the old maxim "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" come true, which in turn could lead to their faculty member canceling class that day since Frankie hadn't done the reading.
There was always that one student who never took anything seriously. The one who distracted the whole class. The one who was always on a cell phone or shopping on Amazon instead of listening in class. The one who didn't read the syllabus. The one who always waited until the last minute to tell the team someone else would have to finish their piece of the project. The one who didn't do the readings and came to class late and left early. The one who asked things like, "Are we doing anything important today?"
Everyone knew there was no way that clown was going to graduate.
Do you ever have one of those days when you feel like students don't understand a single thing you're saying? If so, I have a suggestion. Teach better.
Grad school was not as easy as riding a bike. It was, however, just as easy as riding a bike with one missing wheel down a set of stairs while not holding on.
