Lucy in the sky...

I've had to mark 80 essays since last Wednesday, annotating them in detail to show all the numerous errors in punctuation, spelling and expression so that the students can redraft them. My brain is somewhat frazzled.

I'm not alone in this, mind you. Below is what one student produced in the two-hour slot available to write this piece. He knew he was going to have to write the essay, knew the criteria and was supposed to have thought about it. It's not exactly a long essay, is it? But it does have a certain individual - um - tone.

Our streets are flooded with drugs, we are told. If this is true then society basks on the riverbanks of self-righteousness and misinformation scares those who would benefit from taking a swim. It seems so long ago that my veil was lifted and I married “the high” and began exploring a galaxy of experiences that society would rather I never had the opportunity to have. The majority of my relationship has been forced full of wonderful feelings and paradigm shifting relationships, love, laughter and happiness. But every relationship has its downs. Mine was the day I stumbled across MDPV.

Fairly conclusive proof, I feel, that mind-altering substances do indeed stir the neurons about a bit. Interestingly, maybe. But not necessarily in a way conducive to academic endeavour.