"Why Offcourse?," an essay by Lois Greene Stone.

“Off Course”.  Odd name for a publication.  Generally titles are positive such as “On Course” and not negative suggesting that it has veered into another route definitely not one it had chosen.

Courses were studies when I was young.  For a New York State Regents diploma I was required to take ‘x’ and actually had to petition to learn to type on a typewriter as that was a non-regents study.  My logic was sound; papers will need to be typed in college, and I did not want to ‘hunt and peck’; computers were not even in development as television hadn’t yet come out.  I didn’t feel superior sitting with non-regents people but empowered that something I felt was necessary and I kept asking for was granted.  Unlike mandatory foreign language which taught me to conjugate sentences but not to truly speak the tongue, typing WAS necessary; why didn’t the Board of Regents understand that?

In elementary school during World War II, the only time there was movement from the one classroom per teacher who instructed in everything except shop/sewing, girls had one time of the week segment out of the room with sewing and boys assigned to shop.  Why couldn’t a boy learn to sew a button, or make a laundry bag with a French seam?  Why couldn’t I construct a wooden table in school as I’d done by myself at home?  My mother taught me to sew, and cook, and such.  I wanted the feel of sandpaper smoothing out wood, varnish staining something I’d constructed.  Forbidden.  I also wondered in high school why no one was allowed to learn to change a flat tire in a car, balance a checkbook... that was for vocational students.  

So course was a ‘route or direction’ leading to either potential college or business/secretarial future. To be ‘off course’ was limbo.

One tiny spelling error drastically can alter meaning.  Coarse.  Sounds the same. Ah that’s the sandpaper or an emery board, right?  One must spell correctly to understand intent.

Hm.  The direction of a ship, for example, is course.  Same spelling as classroom assignments.  And if the vessel is ‘off course’ it might go into an iceberg, end up totally not where intended, and so forth.  

There’s the Biblical meaning with its life’s journey either pre-determined or not depending upon the specific teachings of faith being followed.  Definitely one wants that ‘on course’.  “Stay the course” insists no deviation and often a wartime command.  But that’s still a ‘positive’ order.

So why “Off Course” for a publication?  Is it telling readers to think ‘outside the box’ and follow feelings rather than format?  Is it saying, ‘petition and don’t give up’ when requesting a school class not within the specific field of study?  Is it suggesting that a personal goal/path is vital to one’s sense of self or just broadening knowledge and move in the direction that one might want?  Is it implying we try and follow some of our personal dreams and wants even if not traditionally part of accepted society?  Possibly: of course!