This about sums up my last few weeks. Only I can't say I was as radiantly happy as this young woman was on the down stroke, nor was I as exuberant on the up stroke, knowing that the see-sawing over whether or not I'd be teaching this next semester would continue. Tomorrow schools starts. Today I found out that (as my Dean put it) "Your Class Is A Go" in the subject header of the first email, with nothing else in it. The second email was a touch more verbose, with the advice to "get your stuff prepared." He is the man who hired me lo, these many years ago, and since I know him pretty well I laughed when I read the email. It's nice to get off the see-saw.
But I'm pretty much in denial that my lovely (unpaid) sabbatical is over. I have a list of projects as long as my arm in the quilty arena, plus there's those housekeeping chores that need to be done as I have company coming for the next two weeks. Things are popping, but I have to turn some attention to my class now. I did prep up for the first day and have my copies, the stuff up on the web, but who knows if I'll have any AV equipment in a class which is in the South 40? I've already decided I'm wearing tennis shoes the first day, since there will be a lot of hiking around campus.
All of this happened because of budget numbers, those figures that we in middle-education (past K-12, but not as high as a 4-year school) live and die by. Just before Christmas the numbers were in the tank; now, post New Year's, we can float my half-filled class (having only 12 students in my class has got to be a record). I chose online ebooks, as I knew the books wouldn't be here in time and the style manual from the class that was cancelled just before Christmas can be transferred over to this class.
I'm just so relieved to know what I'll be doing.
2 comments:
I am SO glad to have you back on campus. And just think, if you stay at 12, you'll have HALF the grading. That's amazing.
I have so been on that same see saw before. It's a relief to know either way, and 12 is a really good number. You'll have enough students to have good discussions (if they come to class prepared), and like Judy said, the grading will be much lighter!
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