Eric Ribbens is a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois. In this piece, he writes of his observations about the first day of school. After the summer quiet is replaced with noise, motion, smells, and anticipation, students shuffle through the halls again, and all over the building that first day seems wasted. In order to not waste the first day in his class, Ribbens describes how he introduces himself to his students on the first day. Entering the class room wearing full academic regalia, he explains the symbolism involved dating back hundreds of years through the long sweep of a this long collective endeavor called "academia". Having used this method to gain the students' full attention he moves forward to a discussion of elements of trust within the class dynamic. He argues the point to his students that it is his job to help students learn as much as possible, but it is they who must pursue the learning themselves in order to succeed. The second point he leaves his students to ponder on this first day is that they are the most important part of this group. Students had come to class expecting to be given a set of rules. They were were instead given a lesson in academic history that is still around today, and told they were important.