Up to Week 11...

So, obviously I made slightly better progress today. And really, I only have three more weeks to construct, as the final week, week 15, is just the final essay and the final self-evaluation.

But not so fast! I have to adjust/alter/reconsider the next two essay assignments. And what the fuck am I going to have the students write about? "Animal encounters": OK, but ... what? We like animals. Animals are interesting. We should appreciate wild animals...

You see the difficulty.

And honestly, for the last essay, I'm not quite sure what I mean by "Responses and Responsibilities" (these "thematic" titles are fun to come up with, but as soon as I have to actually turn them into something with academic merit, things start to crumble).

Further, there's the "Informational Literacy" "Goal" that we're supposed to address in all our classes. I sort of have that figured out for the SF class (though it's still a bit bumpy). I like the overall approach there, however: I give them a selection of critical essays to use for their second essay, so they know what critical material looks like and how to use it; then I make them find their own sources for the final essay--though still with guidance from me. But, well, that means I have to do some preliminary research myself, so I know what's out there, so I can make a few selections for the students, so I can give them some guidance for the final essay.

And Oh, God, when and I going to have time for that??

And I just realized--hello, wake up, Prof. P--that I created the Turnitin assignment for Essay 2, but no assignment sheet. Ah, fuck.

But man have I ever hit the wall. My plan to get up and move once an hour fell to bits when it turned out I couldn't hear the timer in the other room over the music I was playing. I did get up a few times--and I took a healthy break a little while ago to do some meal prep--but now? My brain is experiencing the intellectual equivalent of vapor lock. We ain't goin' nowheres.

So, I console myself. I keep thinking I'll be able to work on the class in the next few weeks because I won't have that much work to mark--but then I remember, Oh, actually, yes: I will have a lot to mark. Nevertheless, there is the February break, thank God--and the students won't know that I don't have anything constructed past the break, as they only see weekly folders once they open (which happens the Wednesday of the week before, in case anyone is anxious to work ahead).

God, I can't even make sense of all this. I have to check work email--one last task before I turn my brain to "white noise" mode. Then, well, I have my evening. I may  not get to post tomorrow; I can't remember right now when my physical therapy appointment is, but it may mean I have to hustle off campus pretty quickly after meeting the SF students. But we'll see. If I have time to post, I will.