Readin', Writin', and the Friday Five

1. Are you going to school this year? No, it's been quite a while since I've done the student thing.

2. If yes, where are you going (high school, college, etc.)? If no, when did you graduate? Graduated high school in 1989 and college in 1994 (B.Sc. in physics with astrophysics option).

3. What are/were your favorite school subjects? That's actually a tough one. In high school, my science classes were always the most interesting, but they were also the hardest (especially as I've never been any good at labs). English class gave me the chance to do some writing and led to some interesting discussions, but it was also frequently very frustrating due to the twin syndromes of good books being ruined when you're forced into reading them and being afraid to disagree publicly with the teacher even when you're discussing matters of opinion and interpretation rather than fact. In college, I'd have to say my favorite class was psychology, as taught by the inimitable Dr. Frank Etscorn, inventor of the nicotine patch. The guy was a great lecturer, and you could tell he actually enjoyed both his subject and teaching it to freshmen. That's the only class I've ever taken where the big lecture hall was as full of people at the end of the semester as at the beginning.

4. What are/were your least favorite school subjects? P.E. And the less said about that, the better.

5. Have you ever had a favorite teacher? Why was he/she a favorite? Hmm. I don't know... I've had a few terrible teachers, a lot of so-so ones, and a handful of really good ones, but none leaps immediately to mind as a favorite. In fact, if I named one person, I'd feel like I was slighting all the other good ones, and if I named them all, I'd be sure to inadvertently leave someone out. So I think I'm going to pass on this one.