The Book 3

BE A PARROT NOT A PUPIL

College was proving to be harder than expected. All of my basic classes seemed difficult. I had graduated from High School with a 3.5 GPA. I was on the Honor Roll. I thought this would be easier. I was amazed attendance wasn’t taken. The Professors didn’t care if you showed up or not. It was your money you were wasting (or your parents.) And if received poor grades, it was your future you were wasting, a mind jolting awakening. Yes, it’s time to grow up!

I had an English Professor that gave me a “C” on my first essay and I was devastated. English was my number one subject in High School, nothing less than an “A-“ ever! I asked her why such a low grade and she laid it all out. “Frankly,” she said, “I don’t like your style, I didn’t like the story, and you didn’t follow directions.” Damn! How about a little criticism with that smack! Welcome to college.

Sociology proved to be a struggle as well. This should have been a simple class. My Professor explained the theory of social classes. She explained, once you are born into a social class you could never move into a higher class. If you were born middle class, you will always be middle class. You might move to upper middle, but you would never elevate to upper class unless you married into it. You are born into your class. I thoroughly disagree! My father did it! It can be done! He was poor, as poor can be, and I think he pulled himself up from lower to middle class! I’m beginning to think there’s too much class in this world!

Well, arguing what’s printed in text material is futile, it doesn’t get you anywhere. What’s in print is gospel according to the Professors. Grades suffered as I hated the ideals strewn at me. I thought the Professor might even be a bit prejudice. One lesson was the perception of a certain automobile “Blacks refer to a Buick 225 as a Deuce and a Quarter, while Whites refer to the same car as a Buick Electra” Explaining the social differences between Whites and Blacks. I just didn’t agree with all I was hearing. Frankly, what does how you label a car have to do with race?

When my father saw my grades he asked, “What happened?” I explained my frustration with my Professors and that I wanted to change my classes. Then he gave me one of the best lessons of my life. “Give them what they want.” You don’t have to agree with them, you just have to repeat it back to them showing them you’ve listened. Ah...be a parrot not a pupil. And all this time I thought I was there to learn something. My grades improved slightly, but it was a struggle to keep my mouth shut! Not all of my classes were a struggle however. I will say, I thoroughly enjoyed my Marketing and Economics classes.

I had a hard time with Accounting. I had to take my first term over. I just didn’t get it. It wasn’t as simple as budgeting and balancing a checkbook. I got lost when we started learning about depreciation, amortization, and stock options. I had to learn this. It’s the foundation of any business! I knew this was important to my future. Taking the class over wasn’t easy, but I was determined to pass. I had to, it was a requirement and I had to take Accounting II next semester! It wouldn’t be until I started up my first corporation that all the pieces would fall together and make sense. Well...with the aid of a team of accountants filling in the blanks for me!