After a week of educational meetings, filled often with the redundant verbiage of academic policies, pessimistic reports about the college's economics - the "business" of education - which garners very little hope towards any substantial advancement in salaries, and the common office time for syllabi production, copying of handouts, and arranging for classrooms, classes have finally begun!
This won't be a homily of how little instructors are paid (although considering the recent increases in enrollment that, in our small way, the faculty have contributed to - in any other business - we'd be in a bull market!), no, I'm more concerned with how wonderful it feels to be back in the classroom. It is the first day that's always filled with a great deal of hope. Students are interested; they're lively and attentive, and they look through the syllabus with both trepidation and excitement.
There have been very, very few semesters in which I've found myself concerned about the prospect of the following fifteen to sixteen weeks; indeed, most are often very promising. This semester looks to be on par with the latter.
I have a great job: I meet and get to know 125 new people every semester! I stopped counting how many people that must be over twenty six years of teaching, or how many credit hours that is (how much money have I brought to the institution?), or just how many times I've spoken of Hamlet's melancholy...no, all of that is pointless. It's for retirement speeches and dinners which call an end to one's career.
I look forward to each first day for the very reason that it's a first day! Education, learning itself should be a first day; each credit hour, each course, each moment, for teacher and student - it sparks the beginning.
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