I could never wait until the last day of school. When that bell finally rang, sometime towards the end of June, I was always the first one out the door and down the hallway never a word of thanks to any of my teachers, which served them right for trying to teach me over the previous 10 months.
Nothing much changed in high school. The end of school was a little more drawn out with exams, but I wasnt one of those students that hung around afterwards discussing the answers my life began again once I stepped out those front doors.
University was tough, and only got tougher until the very last day when I defended my thesis to a panel of my professors. I sweated for a couple of weeks until my degree came in the mail, but mainly because I didnt think I could hack one more year of school.
But despite my deplorable attitude towards organized education, Ive always prided myself on being something of a lifelong learner.
For example, Ive always regretted how pathetic I was in math, science and French, and the fact that I cowardly opted out of those courses as soon as I was allowed to by the curriculum. In both math and science, Im sure I only passed Grade 11 because the teacher knew I wouldnt be going on to Grade 12 theres no end-of-year mark quite as suspicious as a 51 per cent.
Of course that meant I couldnt go to a university in Ontario, where Grade 13 credits in at least one of those courses was a prerequisite, but I had already found a school in Halifax that would take me on my other grades which were actually pretty good.
But while Ill never cut it as an engineer or doctor, I still try my best to remember what I did learn in school, and to expand that knowledge.
If I have some free time, sometimes Ill try to do some remedial algebra or calculus questions that I find online I usually do poorly but I enjoy the sensation of using the left side of my brain now and then. Its like stretching your legs after sitting down for a long, long time.
I read science magazines cover to cover, and what I dont understand I always look up until I know whats what. I also enjoy experimenting with computers not actually writing code, but making an effort to understand how the code looks and how it works. My inability to do science in school hasnt dimmed my ability to appreciate it.
I dont get many opportunities to speak French, but now and then, when nobody is around, Ill put on French television for a few minutes and try to understand what the people are saying. Hockey games are best because Im familiar with the subject matter, but movies Ive already seen a few times in English are a gold mine. I dont understand all the words, but I think Ive finally got the accent down.
Part of the reason I love Whistler so much is the fact that youre always learning new things. Whether its riding switch on a snowboard or figuring how to get my bike down a rocky slope in one piece, every day I feel like Im being tested.
Sure, the tuition here is expensive and failing tests can be painful sometimes, but an adrenaline rush is as good a motivator as a teachers gold stars could ever be.
Most recently, Ive been trying to teach myself to skate again. I quit playing hockey when I was in pre-PeeWee for the very simple reason that I totally sucked at it and wasnt having any fun. I also wasnt much of a morning person even then, and hated getting up for 6 a.m. practices and games.
I could barely skate, and as goalie it was always my fault when we lost. I also didnt have the right attitude I got mad when somebody scored, and took a lot of dumb penalties.
Luckily I discovered skiing around the same time I dropped out of hockey, was hooked, and spent my winters riding the snow-covered bumps around Toronto.
Still, Ive always wondered what might have happened if my parents had forced me to keep playing hockey with all of my friends. Im not the worlds worst athlete, despite what I thought when I was 10, and I easily went on to make my high schools football and rugby teams. Maybe Id still be playing hockey today.
Rather than wonder what might have been, lifelong learner that I am, Ive been strapping on the skates. Ive been to a few public skate nights and afternoons to test out my legs, and thanks to the awesome skate patrollers at Meadow Park and a few patient friends, Ive gotten lots of pointers. Last week I went to the LUNA Hockey 101 event and played a bit of pickup hockey.
What Ive discovered is that I still suck. I can stop on both sides (usually), skate backwards (slowly), and do a few other (very basic) moves. Im a long way from front and back crossovers, or even making a complete lap of the arena without a bobble and a near-crash.
But I figure that if I continue to drop into public skating through the summer and into the fall, I might be ready to play a little beginners drop-in when the winter rolls around.
With the kind of winter we had, I need another sport. And who knows? With a little more hard work and a few games under my belt, I just might be good enough to play Old Timers some day.
A guy can dream.