Sitting in the front row of class has its benefits. You don’t need to see students in front of you scanning their Facebook feed, online shopping, or watching YouTube. Or if you are denying the fact that you need glasses, it makes the board much easier to read. For me, the greatest pleasure of sitting in the front row is being able to smell the sweet scent of whiteboard markers; the same smell that transports me all the way back to when I was five and drew pictures of trees on my dad’s office whiteboard. Or when I was nine when I fought my brothers to gain possession of a shared smelly marker so that I could essentially shove it up my nostril to get the greatest possible high off of this addicting scent. In the end, maybe this isn’t a benefit of sitting at the front, as the nostalgia becomes so strong that it distracts me from the lesson, but it’s always fun to remember.
Image: Simer Haer/The Cascade
Andrea Sadowski is working towards her BA in Global Development Studies, with a minor in anthropology and Mennonite studies. When she's not sitting in front of her computer, Andrea enjoys climbing mountains, sleeping outside, cooking delicious plant-based food, talking to animals, and dismantling the patriarchy.