Today was Monica’s First day of college. But unlike the rest of the students on campus who shared this in common with her, this was Monica’s first day of “real school,” ever. She was homeschooled her entire life, and had no idea what being in a classroom with a real teacher would be like.
She began preparation for class on Saturday night, organizing her school supplies and checking about ten times that she had everything she needed. It was somewhat amusing answering her questions about classrooms, and reassuring her that she didn’t need to worry about any “implied procedures” in the classroom that would have been learned at a younger age, that she was unaware of. Sunday morning was full of anxiety for the next day’s events, and at one point I had to stop her nervous pacing and make her do yoga to calm her down.
Monday morning finally came, and Monica and I got up earlier than normal to ensure that we would have time to eat a good breakfast before class. My first class started an hour after hers, but I wanted to be with her to make sure she made it to the right classroom on time, and that she would have someone to panic excitedly to.
The walk to the Commons was mostly quiet as Monica prepared for her day, with the occasional nervous question. We had eggs, sourdough toast (Monica’s favorite), and white chocolate mochas for breakfast, and then headed to Franz. We stepped in the building and I took on my motherly role and made her pose for a quick picture and gave her a quick hug before sending her off on her own to class.
When we had the chance to sit down after practice that night, I got the chance to talk about how her day was. She had the biggest smile on her face as she explained about all her classes, her teachers, her classmates, and her relief that she didn’t mess up on anything or embarrass herself. She is more than excited about the school year, especially because she gets real school and volleyball in one package.
Practice has been somewhat hectic now that school has begun, with players arriving late, and others leaving early. But our amazingly talented Assistant Coach Sara Reilly is always happy to jump into any drill if there is a lack of players. We are able to stay on task and engaged, because our goals for the season have not changed, and the mindset we have to reach those goals is still there. We head off to Kansas this week, and everyone is ecstatic. Hope you all have as fun of a weekend as we will!
Stay Classy Pilot Fans,
Autumn Wedan
