Page 10 of Brighter Shades of Light
“Sorry. All I’m saying is we should go out for a drink sometime. Everyone needs a friend, especially during a rough patch in life. You should know the ladies are already talking about who’s going to make the first move on you. A distinguished, handsome fella like you won’t be single for long. Mark my words.”
Perhaps I was harsh in my opinion of Vance, but he tried too hard to be my friend. And I was cynical as to his intentions. He came across as the type of man who held himself in high regard, and he thrived on having friends who were on his level, as if he were a collector of influential men and women.
“I don’t drink. But thank you.”
“Whatever you say, Seb. Oh, I meanSebastian. Enjoy the first day of classes.”
Once he left my office, I breathed deeply in and out of my nose. Very few things got a rise out of me, but Vance had managed to do so. My personal life was private. Not only for my sake, but for Emily’s. I didn’t want her to be the topic of gossip among colleagues who had too much time on their hands.
Seeing it was ten minutes until class began, I gathered my copy of the syllabus, textbook, and my notes and headed from my office toward the lecture hall. Several students had already arrived, notebooks and pens at the ready, and I nodded as I passed them on my way to the front of the room. The podium was on the bottom floor, and the desks were in raised formation in front of it in an auditorium-style seating.
“Good morning, Professor,” a girl sitting in the front row said once I placed my things on the podium.
“Good morning,” I echoed, briefly looking at her before focusing on my papers. I separated them into piles, then switched on the overhead projector to show the PowerPoint I had put together for the lecture.
One minute before nine, the door swung open and Cody Miller ran into the room, out of breath. Papers were sticking out of his unzipped backpack, and his cheeks were pink. My classes filled up fast every semester, so the majority of my students were punctual, dedicated, and sat as close to the front as possible. Therefore, the only available seats were the ones at the top in the very back.
Cody slid into an empty seat and dropped his backpack to the floor with a soft thud.
“Welcome, students,” I said right as the clock struck nine. “I’m Dr. Vale, and I’ll be your instructor for Thermodynamics 101 this semester. I take it most of you are mechanical engineering majors?”
Many of them nodded.
“Can anyone tell me what thermodynamics is?” I asked, folding my hands together on the podium.
Surprisingly, Cody raised his hand. “It’s the science of transferring energy from one place to another.”
“Textbook definition, but good,” I responded. “Can you tell me in your own words what it means?”
People turned to look at him, and his already pink cheeks darkened even further.
“Um.” He hesitated and licked his lips. “It’s basically the study of the movement of energy. An example would be like looking at an internal combustion engine, like the one in your car, and analyzing how it operates.”
“Very good.” Color me impressed. A lot of students caved when I put them on the spot. “As Mr. Miller explained, we’ll study the movement of energy and heat. We’ll cover mass and energy conservation principles, properties and behaviors of pure substances, and modes of energy transfer.”
It had always struck me as odd that I struggled with social interactions, yet I was comfortable standing at the front of the room and teaching a group of students. Perhaps it was the subject matter. Discussing chemistry or physics was easy for me and required little thought. I didn’t have to worry about saying something wrong or not knowing what to say at all.
Being able to educate others was rewarding.
“I don’t believe in wasting your tuition money on taking attendance and cutting into class time.” I grabbed a sheet and placed it on the desk beside the podium. “So, please make sure to sign your name on the roll call sheet at the end of the lecture. Attendance and participation in class makes up five percent of your final grade, so it’s important to come to class. Now. Before I begin my lecture, does anyone have any questions about the syllabus?”
A boy in the second row raised his hand, and I called on him.
“In the section about student assessment, it says the evaluation is at the discretion of the instructor. What does that mean?”
“I’ll evaluate you based on exams, problems presented in class, and group projects,” I explained. “It’s at my discretion because in the past, I’ve had several students do poorly on exams, yet they knew how to apply the laws of thermodynamics and demonstrate their analysis of energy systems. They were just poor test takers. I’ve also had students placed in groups for projects where the group failed to effectively present their idea, but individuals on the team had a strong understanding. Extra credit assignments will be given to students who request it.”
No one else had questions, so I began the introduction to the course and its concepts. I wanted the students to have a clear understanding of the systems and measurement units: pressure, volume, and temperature. Everything else would be confusing without it.
The hour flew by, as it normally did when I was deep in discussion about something. An alarm was set on my watch to vibrate at nine-fifty so I knew when to stop class. Otherwise, I would’ve talked all day.
“That’s it for today,” I said, once my wrist buzzed. “Wednesday we’ll begin discussing the first law of thermodynamics. Don’t forget to sign the attendance sheet before you leave. The sheet will be on the desk before each class, as well, so next time you can sign it before you take your seat.”
Students packed up their belongings and formed a line at the desk, signing their names one by one before leaving the lecture hall. Cody was at the end of the line, and the closer he got, the harder it was to look at him. Not that I should’ve been looking at him in the first place.
After he signed in, he approached the podium.
“Sorry for almost being late, Dr. Vale,” he said, shrugging the strap of his backpack higher up his shoulder as it began to slip. “First day back kind of threw me for a loop. No excuses, though.”
