I started writing this a bit ago, and was saying that I didn't expect to actually see the student I was scheduled to meet--and then she was at the door. I'm glad. She is very smart, but she started out the semester very confused, and she's been late to class a lot, so I was worried that she might be slipping through the cracks. (Her essay was a bit disappointing, too.) But she seems to be latching on to the concepts better now, and she wants to get caught up on the work that she missed at the start because she was so confused. I hope she gets her feet under her and really takes off: she has the potential to be quite good, but I'm not so certain she can realize that potential. But hope springs eternal.
Class today was about like usual. They seem to have a fair amount to say in their groups but a lot less when it comes to talking with the class as a whole. I seem to remember one instance when they were bouncing ideas off each other without involving me (or was that a different class a different semester? It's all such a blur)--but now the silences are more noticeable than any good conversation.
However, today it seemed to me that they weren't shut down or confused; the silence seemed to be because they were thinking--and going back to the text to delve into it further. If that's the case, I don't mind the silences so much. Maybe it will help me if I act as if that's the case, even when my gut is telling me otherwise. Can't hurt. Might help.
Things were mercifully quiet in Advisement (though it was one of those days when I found myself thinking, "Am I the only person seeing students??"). I tried to crank through the enormous stack of homework for the 5:30 102, stuff I hoped to have marked and back to them yesterday. But clearly I didn't have the requisite focus: I was finding just about any excuse I possibly could to keep from looking at it--including coming up with questions/comments for Cathy and P&B. (I would have turned to the candy jar at the reception desk for something to keep my energy up and keep me amused, but all it had in it today was Hershey's Kisses, which aren't worth the effort, in my estimation.) I finally realized I should stop even pretending I was going to get any more work done, so I've been noodling since I got back to the office.
I will be back in Advisement in the morning, making up part of the time I missed during my week of conferences, and I hope I can churn through more of the assignments then (as well as the teeny stack I have for the 1:00 class). I have some life maintenance to do this evening, so I'm going to toddle off now and get that done. I don't think it's a good sign that I'm already thinking in terms of how many more weeks/classes I have to get through before the semester is over--but perhaps I'll get a bit of an energy surge in here somewhere, if I can feel even momentarily on top of the work. I have lots of essays coming in, however: final versions from both 102s tomorrow, and on Monday, first essay from Nature in Lit. Fun and frolic, my dears, beer and skittles.
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