Another One Bites the Dust

Graduation is over. I turned in my grades around 4 p.m. so I don't have to return on Monday. Fall 2008 is officially over. Another semester bites the dust.

It's been a bit of a slog. My 1301 MWF class was great; my Tues.-Thur. double section (80 people) posed more of a challenge, and though there were some good folks in there, there were a fair lot of immature students who need a bit of seasoning yet. They drove me to distraction at times with persistent tardiness, addiction to texting, and lack of attention--nothing malicious, but aggravating nonetheless. My 1301 Interent sections, too, were disappointing. Too many students just dropped out (unofficially) and I will never know why. I know personal and job issues can really undermine academic effort. Still, there were one or two students whom I've previously had in my class and knew exactly what to expect based on their previous effort: exactly nothing. And that's what I got. When I submitted my final grades I had to report the last date a student attended class, and if they never attended I have to mark 8/25/2008 as the last day (i.e., the first day classes met). I had far too many of those. I know that will come home to roost for them as financial aid will look at that, and if that student received Pell grants or other financial aid, they won't get any more. Damn shame that students abuse the system like that. They make it harder for everyone.

In the interim I will spend a great deal of time completely revamping my 1302 Internet course as well as making significant revisions in Eastern Civ. I hope to test it and make sure, as much as I can, that all bugs or inconsistencies--those I can suss out at least--are eliminated. I want things to go as smoothly as possible.

And now that classes are done, there's no excuse for not biking, running, and doing whatever else I need to do to get in shape. I've already done a lot this week. Today I finished Niall Ferguson's The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World, and Ira Stoll's Samuel Adams: A Life. The former actually proved very readable and informative, though such is the complexity of modern finance and the level of my own ignorance that I will probably have to read it again to really get a better grasp of the details. The latter biography of Adams was not a "page turner," though I did learn a lot of new things, which is always good. I don't know what I'll begin reading next. I have no shortage of choices: A new collection of short stories by Jhumpara Lampuri, or another economic treatise by Paul Krugman, or a short novel, The Sweet In-Between, by Sheri Reynolds. I also need to restart my French lessons via Rosetta Stone. I would like to learn Spanish, but French I got so French I shall learn. If I can ever get even as basic knowledge of another language--current knowledge, as my German has passed beyond more that just a few words and phrases--then I see that as major progress.

So many options before me, and I know the three week vacation will not be enough. Better too many options than too few.