I know I had a brain around here somewhere...

I spent ages today looking frantically for a student's second essay to grade and return. I looked everywhere I could think of, at least three times, and finally gave up. I went to class, all set to tell him that I'd mislaid it and to ask him to send me the revision (and apologize for losing the first version)--but when I said I'd lost his paper, he looked at me like I'd lost my mind and said, "You returned it to me already." I had. I'd even recorded the grade. Talk about the absent-minded professor....

His paper would have been the only bit still hanging over my head from the last week or so: I am happy to report that although it was a near thing, I did get everything I had in hand marked (sort of marked) and returned. Because I returned all those assignments, the students in the first 102 section wanted to ask a zillion questions--especially about how to calculate potential final grades--and I got so caught up in helping them, I almost missed the next class. The earlier section actually did a damned good job discussing Le Guin's "Is Gender Necessary? Redux" and the intro to the novel, even though most of them hadn't done the reading. Just enough of them had--including some of the duller students--and to my delight, they were getting the points, and getting them well.

The second class was more problematic, partly because Would-Be Wonder Student kept hijacking the discussion to talk about sociological or philosophical questions, not focusing on the actual texts (largely because he hadn't read them). The student who seemed to understand it all best is one who's been missing the last few classes; he's sweet and honorable and wants very much to do well, but his life has been a train wreck, so he's been behind most of the term. It was lovely to have his participation but sad, too, as I had to tell him after class that he probably needs to withdraw.

And that is the situation with WBWS. He and I had a long talk after class, the upshot of which was that the offer of an incomplete is withdrawn--on top of which, because he is well behind the curve in submitting the first two versions of the final paper, he won't get comments on the second one (the first was ungradeable). I could have graded his second version over the weekend and returned it on Tuesday, two days before the final version is due--but I didn't want to put myself out when he's not been holding up his end. (So there.) But I didn't tell him that. I did tell him that his grade for those versions will take a hit for being late. He's not quite ready to acknowledge that sometimes situations beyond our control fuck up our best intentions, nor is he entirely willing to admit that although he had all sorts of "new leaf" resolve about this semester, he truly has not put in the effort he's capable of--granted, in part because of those situations beyond his control, but the fact remains.

In any event, I may end up with both those young men in my 102s next semester, which would be fine by me. WBWS was trying to massage the angles so he wouldn't have to resubmit the work he turned in this term--and my answer was, well, kinda: I'd allow him to turn in this semester's final version of each paper as his first version for next semester--but he'd have to revise from there.

He was upset (understandably) but also very complimentary: he said he'd done his research and read on Rate My Professor that I would provide a real, high-level college experience, which was what he wanted. (Be careful what you wish for, I reckon.) He said that I taught at a level of sophistication that he hadn't encountered anywhere else. I'm somewhat surprised he'd say so, but I'll happily take the compliment.

I'll also happily take the weekend without work. I have some logs to mark for the short story class, but I'll do them next week (maybe even Monday before class, if I get here early enough). I have a teeny bit of stuff to mark for the 102s, but not enough to even think about. I'll have to do serious work reading the promotion folders for my three mentees (I've been falling down on my P&B business)--and next week I really do have to start work on the adjunct scheduling. But this weekend, if I do anything at all, it will be prep for next semester. My primary objective for this weekend, however, is to flush stress out of my system. I can feel it starting to build for the first time this term: I've been busy and harried but not as stressed or anxious as usual--until this past week or so. I don't want to carry stress around with me any more; it is at very least counter-productive, if not downright damaging, so whatever I need to do to alleviate it will be the order of the day.

Oh, I almost forgot (speaking of alleviating stress): I did snap at Poor Dear Thing, who interrupted me again. It was interesting to watch her after I'd scolded her, fighting down the urge to interrupt. She's so odd: she brings up her ideas in a belligerent manner, as if she's in the midst of a fight--even when A) it's the first time she's mentioned something and B) she's right. I suppose it's a defensive reaction because she feels "stupid" and is therefore all too willing to assume she is being judged as inferior by others, before she even opens her mouth.

But speaking of opening mouths, I'm hungry, so my method for alleviating stress at the moment means getting the hell out of here. I feel pursued by the "shoulds," but I'm going to try to lock them in the office and run. I can't do much tonight anyway, so what's the point in wearing the hair shirt of "should"? (It's chilly outside, but that's not a good choice of a warm layer.)