Respect your elders; you might learn something.

We’ve all been there: stuck in a course we can’t stand.

We can’t stand just the material, but the professor or instructor as well. We have no interest in the material and dislike the way the professor or instructor teaches, so we complain about them. We’ve all done it. We’ve all heard others do it.

We say things like “Professor (Name) is such a (insert the profanity of your choice). I could teach that class better than her/him.” Just pay attention next time you are walking to class; you would be surprised how common it is.

This is something we need to think twice about. I’m not saying you have to like all of your professors all the time — I’m saying be polite. How would you feel if you knew your professors were saying the things you say about them about you? Think about it.

That brings me to my next point—you can learn something from everyone. I’m not just talking about our professors on campus; I’m talking about those who are older than us in general. How many times has a professor, your grandparents or just someone you know gone off on a random tangent about the “old days” or about something that doesn’t even remotely apply to you? It’s another thing we as students and young people in general complain about.

But ever really listened to those tangents? I bet you’d learn something from it. Maybe it’s not about your area of study or interest, but it’s about life in general.

I’m a history major, so I spend my days studying the things that people long dead have done and why. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wished I could pick up a phone and ask “Why?” Recently, for research, I’ve found myself in a variety of interesting places. The first was visiting the final resting places of the participants of the Charleston Riot of 1863. Many of the graves I find are damaged, overgrown and long-forgotten by our time. It makes me sad, but it makes me want to ask them about their lives.

When people volunteer information about their lives, listen and respect them because you might not always have the chance. The second place I recently visited was a beautiful old Victorian house on Seventh Street. You may know it — it’s called the Dudley house and is owned by the Coles County Historical Society. I was there doing research for a project, but I also talked to a member of the society who was my guide and who had retired more than 20 years ago from working in the university president’s office and the University Archives. She volunteered bits and pieces about her time here and living in Charleston. I enjoyed listening, but hearing her speak about the University’s history reminded me something — we are all a part of Eastern’s history.

Someday we will look back and think about our time here. Make sure you learned everything you could from everyone you could.

Amy Wywialowski is a senior history major. She can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].