From the Past: 23 September 2014 Silence, Part II

In fall 2014 I began adjuncting after teaching high school for 17 years. I desperately needed a break. This series will examine my ramblings while I had my students write for a particular amount of time during the first year I taught composition. These will be curated.

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Uncomfortable. Why is it that there was a different feeling this time? It was only an hour and a half difference in time, but this time I was uncomfortable. I felt like I should have been doing something. “Spirit of the Living God Fall Fresh On Me” came into my mind a few times. Is it that I am simply tired? Is it because I feel guilty for not keeping up with my grading? I know I have not been doing a very good job of that. There has been so much going on, especially with being sick this past week. All I was able to do was sleep. Why uncomfortable? Worried? Am I worried about this class? Perhaps it is the new room arrangement that J* [second adjunct college professor and fellow church member] put in place. [The room arrangement was a circle using rectangular tables in a room not big enough for 25 students.] Maybe that is why I feel off. Change takes time to get used to, and I don’t like not being able to get to my students. They did find new seats, though. That was interesting. C- [student] likes purple. I like A-’s [student] shoes and her flowery pants. G- and R- [students] chose the same basic seats that the are usually in. I still don’t understand how anyone can type an essay on his/her phone. I do understand handwriting, though. In fact, research that I recently read shows that those who handwrite their college notes understand them as well as someone who reads the lecture SEVEN times. And yet I still feel uncomfortable. I think I’m worried about their grades.