Nearing the end....

Endings.

Sometimes they are really needed.  Sometimes they are dreaded.  Many times they sneak up and hit a person in the face with their suddeness.  They happen.  Whether we want them to or not.

The end of a semester. 

For the past two-three years, several semesters have ended on a sigh of relief.

Why?  One semester began with unexpected knee surgery, a repeat on a replacement from two years previous, followed by a bout with shingles covering the right side of my face.  At that point I was ready to quit until January, hiding in my house to avoid any other type of catastrophe.

One semester snow days plagued us to the point of frequent class cancellations in January and into February.  My Monday night class was hardest hit, and since the college closes on MLK day, another Monday was lost.  The students and I never did get into  a routine that was conducive to learning during that semester.

One semester found me with an overloaded schedule with classes over-the-top in student numbers which meant too many papers to grade and too much time spent on planning, executing, and evaluating class lectures.  I was totally exhausted when that semester ended.

Most of the semesters, though, have found me with the feeling of 'are you kidding?  It's time for the final paper already?' types of questions.  This is one of those. 

Now granted, my family is still recovering from the sudden death of my father-in-law and the health issues of my mother-in-law.  Many changes have occurred out of necessity.   I am now the 'transport person' for my husband as he moves the tractors, planter, fertilizer wagon, and seed trucks from one field to another.  That is something his dad always did for him in recent years.  We make more trips to check on his mom, checking on her needs, taking her to appointments, and just spending time with her.  Going from being married for 66 years to being a widow so suddenly has been a difficult adjustment.

Even with all of the events and changes in the last month, I am not prepared for the end to be here.  I need more time with my ENGL 111 students to be sure they are ready for the next writing assignments they will encounter in other classes.  My ENGl 112 student need more discussion time with the novels they have been reading and analyzing since spring break.  What happened to all of my plans for small group discussions?  And the AmLit class? I am so far behind in grading their submissions that I feel I have missed opportunities for great interaction with my students, especially the ones I see in person frequently. There were no opportunities to chat during the last two Pods on BB IM, and I have not posted as frequently as I would have liked here on the blog.  I am very disappointed in myself.

Time marches on, I guess.  Time waits for no one, I guess.  Time is of the essence, I have been told.  Time.

Just as has happened for every year I have been teaching, the semester ends.  Graduation happens.  People move on. 

In the fall there will be a new beginning for a new group of students in all of the classes.  But for now....the semester ends.  Thanks for being part of it!