I have some news. There's opportunities to do a lot of fun things on this campus. You'll find many of them documented in this blog, and of course there's many more that we haven't yet written about. However, the dominating activity in the life of any responsible university student (and even most of the irresponsible ones) is attending class. Most university advisers will readily tell you that you're going to have to commit at least 40 hours a week to reading and homework if you hope to be successful in post secondary education. 40 hours is a full time job. That's why those extra-curricular activities we write about are referred to as such, because they're extras, indulged in by those of us whose job is to go to class, read books, and learn about the world. Why is choosing this institution for four years of full time work (that's what it is, it's your job) a good decision? Well, going on what I've experienced so far, our professors know their subjects through and through.
For example, the history department has Dr. Kevin Flatt, a younger instructor whose lecture style leaves room for discussion of some of the funnier points of history, like the revolutionary Protestant act of disobedience that would later become known as The Sausage Incident of 1522, or the life and times of Canada's first Prime Minister, Sir John A. MacDrunkard. While keeping his lectures humorous and engaging, Flatt manages to provide information that fits into a meaningful modern context, bringing history to life and giving it relevance today.
Then there's Dr. Darren Brouwer, a chemistry professor. Science can be a delicate area for Christians to practice in. Lean too far one way, and you're likely to be ostracized by your fellow scientists, who as a community have adopted a decidedly secular worldview in their studies. Lean too far the other way, and you've adopted that view yourself. When I took chemistry with professor Brouwer, I watched him walk that fine line between those two extremes and produce the most honest presentations of scientific facts I could have hoped for.
There are more outstanding professors. I'll set aside some blog space, someday, to document the outstanding performances of professors Klassen, Boersema, Smid, Koyzis, and the rest. They've all done their part at providing me with a comprehensive, up to date educational experience. If this is my job, I couldn't ask for better bosses. I don't know why I'm here or what I'll be doing when I'm done. My professors can't teach me that, I have to get that from God. But maybe that's what my job actually is: learning what I need to know for whatever it is God has for me next. The professors here are the right people to teach me just that.
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