Intellectual Freedom for One, the End of an Ideal for Another
             The first semester of college is a far different experience for young, impressionable students than it is for more mature and learned teachers. High school seniors are expected to transform into "adults" over one summer, a mere three month period of time. Many students leave home, the only place they have truly experienced for the past eighteen years, and are thrown into a new culture full of places and people and ideas they have never before encountered. For many, it's the first time decision making is done alone without mom or dad. Not only has everyday life become more independent, course material has become a lot more sophisticated and in many cases there is no longer one right answer. Teachers are asking students to think for themselves, not telling students what to think. The teacher no longer enforces student initiative; all efforts must be taken by the student. Teachers now guide the learning process rather than dictate it. Teachers as well as school itself bring freedom to the students, but with this freedom comes responsibility. Teachers often expect more from students than students expect of themselves, and students often expect more from their teachers than teachers are willing to give, this can result in frustration on both ends. Two poems depicting expectations of the student and of the teacher are Lisa Parker's "Snapping Beans" and Billy Collins' "Introduction to Poetry" respectively.
             "Snapping Beans" tells the story of a young college freshman who is visiting home from school. The student's grandmother asks how school is going for her grandchild. Internally the student yearns to speak of all the new and exciting yet almost frightening experiences. Parker writes, "I wanted to tell her about my classes, the revelations by book and lecture, as real as any shout of faith/ and pote...