Returning to the fray

All the various meanings of "fray" apply in this instance.

I did not, of course, do a damned bit of work over the break. I told myself I would all the way up to Saturday, at which point I had to get honest with myself. In point of fact, life would be a teensy bit easier this week if I had gotten the mini-papers graded for 229 over the break; I'd then be able to turn my attention tomorrow and Wednesday morning entirely to idea logs for the 102 classes (not to mention beginning to grade their final versions of their first papers). But ah well. I need to look at my calendar, but I think I'll have time tomorrow morning, before P&B, to get the rest graded (I did get a few done in Advisement today), and then I can get to those logs.

I keep wanting to believe I'll have a breather or two between now and when the next big paper is due for the 102 classes, but I realize that, too, is self-delusion. There will be a steady stream of work coming in: logs, study question responses, another mini-paper from 229, their first big essay... Four weeks of steady grind (and a few days of flat-out flurry, when we start the revision process of the second paper for the 102 classes), and then spring break. The grind will continue after spring break, but there won't be so much in the way of manic flurry--I don't think. Just the donkey plodding in a circle, turning those mill-wheels.

Classes today were OK: no one caught fire, but no one was lying comatose on the floor, either. I did have a conversation with a student who is in dire trouble: he fell into the same problem last semester, didn't make it through to the end, withdrew--but he said he liked me and the class enough that he wanted to take it from me again. But the same problem: he already has five absences, and he missed the first paper entirely. I'm willing to take whatever he has for the paper: my official policy is that I don't take a paper if the student hasn't gone through the revision steps, but even if I do take the paper, 10% of his final grade will be a zero (that will be his "revision" grade)--and god knows what the paper itself will look like. I told him he won't get much in the way of feedback from me (reminder to self), but whatever he gets will be better than having 20% of his final grade a zero. I don't know if he'll be able to pull it out this semester: I don't have a good feeling about it, but I'll give him whatever chance I can.

A young woman from that same class is in a similar situation. She came in to talk to me today: she wanted to withdraw right away, and I'm not going to prevent her from doing that, if she decides it would be best, but I'm giving her a chance to try to pull it together from here, dangling the carrot of a potential incomplete in front of her. But another young woman--from the other section--I am not going to try to keep, even though I like her personally very much and would love to have her in the class. She is dealing with an infant child at home, and she's got too much on her plate I think--and I don't think I'd be doing her any favors to try to keep her hanging on. I think it's better for her to free up her time and energies right now and know that she'll do fine when she tries again. She wanted to take the class from me over the summer, and I had to inform her that I don't teach in the summer terms (gawd forbid); we'll see if she decides to wait to take the class with me in the fall or if she opts to take it from someone else and get it over with.

The comp classes are noticeably dwindling. I've only had one official withdrawal, but in addition to the three students I just mentioned, another handful are simply AWOL. I hope they turn up with the drop/add slips in hand so their withdrawals are official, but I'm not going to go chasing them down about it.

I spent a little time today making sure I have what I need in the way of handouts and so on for the next few weeks. I need to do some more of that: have the folders already loaded with every handout I'll need for the rest of the semester, pretty much. I'm so addled--and will only become more so, as the work continues to roll over me--that if I'm not set up soon, I'll have far too many of the "Oh shit!" moments.

Right now, I'm just hanging out to complete my evening office hour. I'll take a look at what's on my desk: there's some flotsam there I think I can take care of with only a partial brain--and if not, I can at least organize stacks for tomorrow's plan of attack.

And that should be enough for one night.