This past weekend, I went on a service learning trip for SOAR. For this, we were required to do community service in Bristol, so we decided to rake leaves. In one hour, we got done five houses. We were required to do four, so we did one extra. It was really nice to be helping out the community, but I felt as if we weren't doign a sufficient job. We were originally going to be picked up by the bus at 230. but ended up leaving at 12 because we were already done. I didn't feel as if we provided adequate service to the community. I had a game for cheerleading at two, and I planned on missing it. Because we finished so early, we just left. I felt like the right thing to do would be to stay and work until 2:30, finishing as many lawns as we could. Imagine what we could have gotten done! We could have raked the whole block. I felt like by leaving early, we were doing the community an injustice. From this experience, we were asked about how this taught us to be leaders. Truthfully, I can't think of one way that it did. I know that sounds terrible, but we all worked together to acheive one goal. I guess that helps with leadership, in the form of collaboration. So I take that back!

Tonight is Monday before Thanksgiving. I think I'm one of five people left in my hall (which normally consists of about fifty). Everyone is already home for Thanksgiving. This raises an interesting question that we talked about in class: how can teachers not get students to skip class? Most teachers do this by assigning tests and quizzes on the last day before vacation. This works for most students with keeping them there, but on the other hand makes the students detest the teacher for it. Other teachers simply cancel their classes. Tomorrow, I don't have one class. Today, two out of three of my classes were completely pointless. Is this the teachers fault? Do students skip because they know the classes will be a joke? Or do they skip because they don't care? I have never understood that. Would it be more of a success if the University just said that Friday was the last day of class and cancelled Tuesday and Monday completely? I'm not sure.