Matthews 1 (Not the Jesus kind)
I mentioned Mike Matthews, a professor at Central Texas College, in my overview of this website. I’m happy to give him a two, maybe three part set.
Obviously, I was heavily involved in speech and debate during this period of my life and he’s kind of the other catalyst, I suppose. That line is not meant to be a subtle jab or insult, for the record.
I had my momentary flashes when young and my momentary horrors. Perhaps what sticks out to me most is my parents and others accusing me of plagiarizing an essay about a historical figure. I cannot remember who that historical figure was, more so I just remember sitting in a corner of my room crying about it (I have never plagiarized anything). When you are in Eighth grade or whatever, that, I would think, kind of kills your writing inclinations. Plus, I was also decently good at math. At least until I dealt with that precalculus ghoul at Central Texas College. Growing up, I felt as though I could not be bothered with writing, I was better at mathematics. Yet, here we are.
Matthews was the first person in college, after about a year of being there and quite a few ‘A' grades, to ever give me a ‘B.’
Last I checked, I was the sole inaugural member of Central Texas College’s Speech and Debate Team Hall of Fame (This is my way of trying to downplay the prior paragraph).
I have a whiteboard by my desk today. There is a line that I believe maybe originated from me on it. It says, “Don’t start a battle unless you can win the war.”
I wrote an essay about going to a Round Rock Express game and Matthews dissected it. I want to say I got like a 76 on it. To an 18- or 19-year-old, that was difficult. Frustrating, even. But, with the benefit of hindsight, looking back, it was a very inconsistent and all over the place argument. One where I halfway argued in favor of going to the games, while simultaneously decrying the horrors of the game.
It’s funny or sad in the sense that these days I kind of mimic that mistake. I, at times, waffle around consistently. I figure a good journalist reports things as they are and many issues are inherently messy.
In those moments though, Matthews made me a better writer. He took an inconsistent thesis and battered it. Academic writing is all about learning how to make concise and coherent arguments. I struggle with it today, not from a writing sense now, but from an emotional sense. You have to focus on the big picture. If you lose sight of that picture, then what you’re doing may be all for naught.
Today, I am more than capable of writing a very strong argument in favor of almost any cause you choose. As much as that first low grade hurt, I will forever remember when I got an ‘A’ in his class on an essay. It wasn’t necessarily anything to write home about, after that I went back to getting lower grades, but it stands up there in the echelon of my academic career. I remember him handing me back my folder and me refusing to open it until I got in my car. I’m absolutely not big on public displays of emotional vulnerability. Plus, if you open it when they first give it to you, it makes it seem like you really care. I never care, except when I secretly do.
Anyways, I got to the car and I want to say it was a 92 or something. It will never beat getting a 109 on a test, but that grade was way more meaningful than any 109.
