I've always heard people say that when they've been out of the city for a while, returning is strange. People say they get "soft" and lose their city sense.
Whelp. I think the same thing happens when you take leave of your teaching load for a while.
I have gotten soft. I can't keep track of things. I have four classes and three preps. I teach every day, and I have about 130 students altogether. Not an atypical load for a community college instructor. I don't even have that many committee things happening right now since I was on leave last term.
But I have been confused. What day is it? What am I teaching today? What do I need to prepare? Crap. I only made 30 copies, but I have two sections. Whoops. I forgot to grade those quizzes. Oh, poop. I forgot to prep that chapter.
Last night, I did all kinds of prep work including some peer review instructions that I typed up for today. Then, at my office, I realized that I hadn't mailed myself the document, so I madly re-did it. And then, after re-typing it, I realized that I didn't need it until the next day. In the meantime, I was forgetting to grade some quizzes I had planned to hand back.
Dude.
But I'll tell you what was on my mind thoughout today: the image of Edmund Burke and Mary Wollstonecraft mano a mano in a UFC cage match. That would be something to see. I know where I'd put my money.
7 comments:
You'll be back in fighting form before you know it! And in the meantime, it'll be GoodEnough. :)
How's the new start to the comp class going so far?
Mary would totally take him down!
Aw, man. I know the feeling. You'll get back into the swing of things soon enough. I always have to have a weekly calendar nearby the computer for the first few weeks of the quarter until I get my rhythm. Otherwise it all falls apart.
I've been away from it so long that a return would certainly send me running for the hills! You'll get your mojo back!
I vote for trying to maintain this level of scattered distraction. It's a good sign that other things are important (like... not sweating the details). I think that academe encourages us to "take leave of our senses..." and you just got yours back!
I felt like I was looking in the mirror when you mentioned that you forgot to mail yourself the document. I do that all the time.
And my money is on Wollstonecraft, hands down!
It's (re)trial by fire. I had a break from teaching for about 3 years and on my first day back, my legs were actually *shaking* as I handed out my syllabus. I had to keep walking so my students wouldn't be able to see.
So. Soft? I'm sure it feels that way. But your post on using love songs to stimulate discussion tells me you've definitely already got your mojo (a la TKW) going!
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