In the four years I have been attending this school, I have learned many things. I believe each one has things people can take away from it as a learning experience. (This is also the only serious article here folks.)

One of the important things I learned this year was admitting my problem with procrastination. While I have already written extensively about it, please allow me further rumination. (Don’t call it a comeback cop-out, I have some legitimate new information.) School work is the preparation for the more important things we strive to become: doctors, theoretical physicists, engineers, teachers, businessmen, accountants, etc. If we ignore it or put it off to the side, we are doing the same with our future. Since writing the original column, I’ve tried to become more efficient in school, finding a better balance between work and play. I now spend more time working. The conversations I have had in wake of the original article have shown that I wasn’t the only person who still has this problem. We all have moments where we want to ignore the responsibilities we have and enjoy “me” time instead. Well... too bad, the stark reality is that you gotta suck it up for two more months. As Marshall Bruce Mathers III would say, “You gotta search within you, you gotta find that inner strength.”

Speaking of back to work (there’s a phrase used by teachers a lot), I spent a lot of time with different teachers. Some are more hands on, others are better with the theory. One aspect that can’t be ignored however, is the human aspect. I think Social Studies teacher Mr. Fisher exemplified it best here with his blend of humor and getting the work done. In addition, he can do pretty good impersonations that will keep you laughing and makes his class that more enjoyable. His stories are also very introspective and makes everyone in the class learn more about the world and themselves as Mr. Fisher reveals a little more about himself. A few teachers could learn from him. (Mr. Fisher, if you could please make the check out to “Andrew Crooker’s College Fund” -- my parents thank you!)

Speaking of college, going through the whole college selection process wasn’t stressful or horrible for my psyche in the slightest, maybe it is because I didn’t have Ivy League aspirations. Wait, does Harvard have a chemical engineering department? No? Whew! The point I want to make is that working towards college shouldn’t be hard. I didn’t stress out about my class rank once, nor did it factor into my decision. No one should really stress out about college. The first step is to decide if you want to go to a big or small college and find one that best matches your desired area of study and your ability to absorb huge student loans for the next 20 years. Small schools let you get more one-on-one time with your teachers and advisors. Small schools are also small schools, but remember that undergraduate school isn’t that important. Just get that good GPA, then you can go to the really good graduate schools. The rest is simple. I actually laugh in my head (and maybe a little out loud) at the people who did have problems.

As for an actual class, let me tell you about “Newsmagazine Production.” I learned a lot from Colonel. The three years each had a different tone and environment surrounding it. The first year had a serious tone, and was full of dedicated people striving to make the best news oriented magazine around. I did my best writing articles about school budgets, snow days, and video games. The second year I was really eager to write again and had a few cool ideas. Only one has been used, but at least it was a profitable one (visit the Colonel online and we get money from advertisements). On the downside, I wrote about the Randolph Fair -- 16 days after it happened. Not exactly breaking news. There were high moments, too, such as the time at the OSMA award banquet at Kent State, where I walked up to a fellow journalism student that my former Editor-in-Chief had been crushing on all day and explained her feelings for him, then having him destroy her hopes and dreams faster than Snooki going through a bottle of peach schnapps. Good times.

Now, for my third year in Colonel I’m writing this serious work in a satire issue. I could easily talk about it more, but I’m in enough trouble for breaking rules one and two.