Retired Farmer, Marionaires Chorus Singer

Green Camp, Ohio

I chose to do my essay about a man I see almost every day where I work.He is someone I see, but never really knew anything about.  What meant the most to me in the assignment was being able to know more about a person I see every time I go to work. Before this assignment, he was just another one of the old farmers drinking coffee in the lounge every morning, but now I know there is a lot more to him. I found that in reporting, it takes a lot of listening and quick thinking. Also, that it can be very hard to be genuine while expecting them to be also. It was hard to know how to respond to his questions and emotions. Finally, I found that it takes a great deal of time to type the transcript and organize all of the thoughts.


I went to college because I was tired of workin’ [laughs]. Actually, I went for a degree in Agriculture. It was about four years after high school. I couldn’t see any reason to learn some of that stuff like the humanities courses. I couldn’t learn it- it just wouldn’t stick. My girlfriend, now wife, and I went to the library to study one time. We sat and studied for over two hours. I would read something and look at it and say “What did I just read? Damned if I know! Let’s try it again.” I went about it with the idea that I wanted to learn that stuff. I didn’t just want a degree; I wanted to actually learn it. The big thing college does is open up doors that were not there before.  And, it molds you more for that job, which will generally help you earn more money. My life was different, and would be totally different if I hadn’t gone to college.