Bad Day

As I lay on my cot, wondering what had become of my fellow travelers, I heard the beating of drums in the distance. I closed my eyes. The first person had walked with the captors calmly. She hadn’t tried to struggle at all, assuming she was being brought in front of the leader of the tribe to explain our sudden appearance. The next few people went timidly, looking back over their shoulders, a tell-tale fear in their eyes. The last two had struggled. Kicking, shouting, screaming, and being beat down until they were unconscious and unceremoniously dragged toward the sound of the drums.

The drumming became more intense. Low chanting had begun to float through the heavy jungle vines and find their way to my ears. It wouldn’t be long before they reached a fevered pitch and three strong men from the tribe would come to escort me to the drums, like all the others had been. The chants would end and I would walk silently to the solitary beat of a drum, one that would mark time in seconds. Step. Step. Step. It would demand.

The voices were ascending. I swallowed although my mouth was dry. The leaves outside of the hut rustled. I stood straight, emphasizing my height, in the middle of the little hut. I could hear the unmistakable sound of the wooden end of the spears scraping against the ground. I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with the stale breath of the room. The door slid open and a masked person peered inside, its clawed hand summoning me forward. I realized it was going to be a very bad day.

*** One Minute Writer ***

An Essay for a Netbook

Tell Us How Our Libraries Have Impacted Your Madison College Learning Experience

As a non-traditional student, I am taking my education far more seriously than I did as a traditional student. I am stimulated by the environment and frequently challenged by the class work. I find myself putting more effort into studying and taking pride in being a part of this community. However, I did not start out feeling this way. I had been out of school for many years when I found myself sitting at my computer reflecting on my college days as a traditional student and nervously tapping my pencil, wondering what my on-line class would be like. I was riddled with anxiety about my ability to do well. It was the library system that both supported and pushed me to do better, thus opening the door for an extremely positive educational experience.

The catalyst for exploring the library and its resources came in the form of an assignment. I was to work with a small group of students to produce a well written paper dissecting the weaknesses and strengths of an employee handbook. The logistics seemed overwhelming at first and the three of usbitterly complained about how unfair this assignment was for an on-line class. Finally, we accepted the reality that we would need to find a way to make it work. The library provided a convenient place for everyone to meet to share opinions and knowledge. There were ample easily accessible materials that supported our ideas and the overarching project. It was a very positive experience and I continued to use the library as a meeting ground for other groups.

It wasn’t until my third or fourth class that I was asked to write a paper alone.Having always had the support of a group, I found myself feeling uncertain of my ability to write a paper outside of the team effort I had come to rely on. I spoke of this to a classmate I had worked on previous projects with and he told me about the wonderful experiences he had with the writing center. I made an appointment. The writing center staff was extremely professional and knowledgeable. This service proved to be invaluable to the writing of that paper and to my self-confidence as a capable student in every area.

I began visiting the library to look through additional reading materials teachers had recommended or articles they had placed on hold. It became a home away from home, one I would visit when I was early for class or when class ended early and I wasn’t ready to go back to my house. I started reading more, learning beyond what was expected of me. I became addicted to research and my personal library at home began to fill up with genres besides fiction. I am quick to share these resources with others. In that sense, the MATC library has made it possible for my experience with education to extend beyond the boundaries of the campus and learning community.

The library system was central to helping me build the confidence I needed to succeed academically, providing materials and space essential to supporting a quality education, and making it possible for students to learn beyond what a classroom can offer by encouraging social relationships through common interests and goals. All of these things combined have made my Madison learning experience the absolute best anyone can expect.

*** This was a contest through Madison Area Technical College ****

Half and Hold

"Alzheimer's is worse for those not inflicted, but forced to watch. A progressive disease that devastates those around the inflicted and leaves the inflicted standing in a thick fog, but otherwise unharmed," she had explained to many of her research subjects and their families. Lauren could feel it moving in her, the dampness settling into the deep recesses of her brain, slowing her thoughts and obscuring some memories completely. She worked diligently to hold on to her memories, using all she had learned in her studies of the disease and bargaining with God to let her keep the most important ones: her children's names; the joys and frustrations they brought her over the years; her own name; and an identity she could recognize as hers. In return, she would sacrifice her body and the other half of her mind. Just let me keep these few things, she prayed silently. It was a prayer she fervently wanted heard and ultimately knew would go unanswered.

*** One Minute Writer***

Chase

We'd first met Chase when he was two-and-a-half. He had wandered off the street and into our house. I was washing dishes when his little body walked over to the refrigerator and opened it, his mouth dropping open. "Can I have something to eat?" he garbled in typical two-year-old fashion.

"Where are your parents?" was all I could say. Eventually, I learned dad had been out of the picture since before he was born. He only showed up to beat on mom. Mom had serious mental health issues, but refused to seek help.

We adopted Chase in our hearts. We watched him grow from a toddler to a teenager, frequently providing what his parents chose not to. He dropped out of school and was working full-time to support his mother. It was admirable, but he should have been enjoying his senior year and visiting colleges.

"What can we do?" I asked my husband as we digested the facts.

*** Prompt provided by One Minute Writer***

I Have A Dream

There is a common misinterpretation that Martin Luther King's speech lobbied for equal rights for all. In reality, all but the first "I have a dream" stanza, and the build up to those beautiful passages, specifically sites brotherhood and equality between whites and blacks/ Negros. What should we rally behind then? The essence of his speech. The underlying prose of equality. As long as a group of people are systematically devalued by a characteristic such as race, gender, age, religion, sexual preference, etc, his speech is very much relevant. And humanity will have something to rally behind.

*** Seven Days, Seven Questions ****

Holiday Ornament

I remember always loving my Grandmother's Christmas Tree. It was covered in white porcelain ornaments of various shapes and sizes. The old fashioned kind you can't buy anymore. When she died, her belongings were split among her children and I was disappointed not to receive any of the ornaments I treasured. I never told anyone. A year later, I received a package in the mail at Thanksgiving. It held a dozen white porcelain snowflakes. Thank you to whomever sent it to me. I wish I knew who you were and how you knew how desperately I wanted them.

*** One Minute Writer ***