Jonathan Meyer.

I would wager that the majority of folks who read the paper have no idea what my voice sounds like. I’m sure they understand my style of writing, maybe even a bit of my humor, but not everyone knows the sound of my voice. This week I was tasked with giving a speech to the incoming freshman class here at Wartburg College.

I’m happy to report to all of you that my biography shared a lot about our newspaper. For being someone who is going to school to be a music teacher it sure sounds like I’m a much more qualified writer. To be quite honest I’m probably more comfortable writing. Standing in the back of a room with a camera and a voice recording, having time to reflect and report the news when I’m ready–that’s way easier than reacting to children in real time.

What I didn’t really think about was the fact that this job has prepared me for what I’m doing on campus. The more I think about it I essentially wrote one of my columns and just read it to the freshman class. They got their own unofficial, Just Jonathan. Happy to report that I kept my same level of sarcasm–my favorite joke was about enjoying dorm life because the next time you’re living like this, it’ll probably be in a nursing home. That might’ve landed with the faculty a little bit more, but I thought it was good.

What was maybe most striking about delivering this speech was how different it was from taking a public speaking class. When I was in one of those dreaded courses a few years ago, I remember writing as small as I could on my little note cards and preparing a speech outline before memorizing it. This time around, I wrote the dang thing and then I gave it, simple as that.

While in class, the 15 or so of us took turns shakily delivering our speeches and being graded on how we perform. Yesterday when I gave my speech, my only concern was making sure I didn’t get lost. I still think it’s hilarious that I was more comfortable in front of 400 people than I was in front of 15 people and a professor. Quite honestly the norms and realities are still being turned upside down and all around.

Until things make more sense, I’m Just Jonathan