Today is my last day of the semester.  The past few weeks my students have been tired and grumpy but as I’ve been sending off my groups, I’ve been a little sad and in a little way wish it wasn’t over.  It’s funny about the group dynamic- I sometimes get the same students back for another class but the whole chemistry changes and there is a whole new group personality to adjust to.  Probably the thing I have the most trouble with is the anticipation of the group dynamic.  I get incredibly nervous leading up to the new semester.  And I always seem to recall some of my favorite groups and think there is no way they could ever be topped.

It’s a funny thing about teaching.  I spend a lot of time doing it.  I’ve been thinking about that as the semester winds down.  I really don’t know my colleagues that well- maybe some I do but not too many.  I don’t seem to have the time to hang around the office and get to know people.  In fact, I hovered around a department meeting yesterday and didn’t really have too much interaction with my colleagues.  It’s ok and they are very nice people but I think this may be the nature of where I am at in my profession.  I am an adjunct professor.  It’s a gypsy-like existence.  I constantly am on the go and trying to keep up with the multitude of classes, meetings, prep/grading, and my studio (which we already know is suffering).  And I find exist in 16 week sprints at a time and hope to reconnect with my friends and family during the breaks.

I know that many people are busy and that their job demands a lot from them.   But I feel like I have a unique situation.  I scurry from university to university all to make every effort to connect with freshman over design fundamentals… subject matter that could be even thought of as a drag but I try to make it something compelling and encourage them to re-consider what they think they already know.  I demand a lot from them and I know that they are frustrated and grumpy that I don’t just cut them a break.  But I get them for 15 weeks and I have 15 weeks to establish something with them- some get it and others don’t.  All in all, it’s hard to let them go.  It’s been them I’ve been focused on a large percentage of my day, every day.

Today is the day they move forward and me, well, aside from a weekend of anticipated take out and grading, there is a weird empty nest syndrome I  have going on.  I know, I really know, that sounds incredibly weird however it’s not like after crit tonight I grab a few drink s with the class.  I let them go and I go home and anticipate the next sprint.