Throwback Thursday…in which I realize I’ve lost my high school brain.

I’m a writer, so I tell myself. I spend my time reading and writing nearly around the clock. My writing brain cells must be HUGE! That illusion was deflated the moment my children hit high school age. Now, they are coming home with assignments such as these:

Explain the roles of glycolysis and yields of recharged ATP in aerobic cellular respiration and in anaerobic fermentation.

Consider the relationship between fate and free will in Oedipus, by Sophocles. Are the two mutually exclusive? Is Oedipus responsible for his actions or merely a victim of fate, and how does this influence our view of him as a tragic figure?

Ummmm…yeah. This is where I must face the humbling fact that my brain is not what it used to be. Reading/writing skills ebb and wane according to the type of challenge we apply them to. In high school (or maybe college) I spent my time steeped in this type of technical and literary language. Now? Not so much. Yes, I read plenty of nonfiction when I’m researching, but mostly, my brain is left to its own undisciplined ways, romping freely in fiction land. Lovely, but humbling, when presented with high school material. Sigh.

Do you find that your skills/ways of learning have changed over the years? Would you care to share? I hope I’m not the only one struggling with high school biology! Giving away a Starbuck’s card and signed book this month!