Today was Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. It is officially the first day of summer, but also the day that begins the slow march to early darkness and cold winter nights.
The college where I work only offers a few classes for summer session. Also, right now we are on the break between Spring and Summer terms, so most of the faculty are gone and few students have any reason to be there this week. The place is pretty much shut down. It has been so quiet I recently joked with a colleague that we could get out some roller blades and go cruising up and down the hallways without anyone noticing, let alone being bothered by it. Some of the staff are enjoying the peace and quiet, saying they are able to get twice as much done without all the noise and interruptions. Not me. I miss the action and the energy of having a lot of people around. The empty echo of the halls made me wish for an old Druid celebration of the solstice to shake things up a bit.
3 comments:
What do you teach?
My full time job is not teaching - I'm the "Learning Specialist" under a federal Title III grant. I help design pilot programs to enhance student retention and success and then run the data analysis to see if it worked or not.
However, I do teach a variety of things on the side on an adjunct basis. I've taught Intro Soc and Sociology of the Family online for many years for a college in Washington State. In the past I've also taught Race & Ethnicity, Contemporary Social Problems, Death & Dying and Interpersonal Communications. This summer I'm teaching College Survival and Academic Planning courses here and my usual Intro Soc online for the school in WA, so I'll have a full plate.
Belle,
You have a good job! Naturally I am interested in the course on death and dying. I have been a hospice volunteer for several years and find it very fulfilling to make myself available to those who are facing end of life issues and working with those who are suffering the pain of grief.
How did you like giving that class? Is that something you have much experience in? What type of things did you discuss?
-Joel
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