Yesterday was a good day overall, but also a bit overwhelming in understanding ways. I went from summer days when I'm around one or two people a day to a day full of humans. I went from the unstructuredness of summer days to a day of a rigid schedule.
Happily, I was surrounded by other humans, my colleagues, who are delightful. I went from the free floating thinking of summer to focusing on teaching. I gave a workshop on using haiku to assess student learning--yes, it's a workshop I've given at other places, but it continues to be well received.
As I always do when I use the word "haiku," I did remind us that true practitioners of haiku would tell us that a creation is not a haiku just because it's 3 lines and follows syllable requirements. But it's a fun way to try to determine if students have a grasp of the material, and it gives them small bits to put on the board, which can give interesting opportunities for small group and/or large group discussion.
My favorite workshop that I attended was one on bullet journaling. We each got a bullet journal, and I'm planning to keep it through the school year. I'm now on the tenure track, so I need to be much more intentional about remembering all that I've done as a faculty member over the next 5 years. Plus, I just love keeping track, and I've been wanting a system that is more portable and encourages me to capture daily observations closer to real time.
You may say, "Couldn't you do that on your phone?" No, I can't. I haven't found a phone system that works, and I will be the first to confess that I haven't tried very hard.
Our workshops ended by 3, and I drove home. It was good to remember how tiring this commute can be, even when it's a straight shot down the mountain and back. My leisurely summer days occasionally made me wonder if we made a mistake to buy a second house. Yesterday reminded me that it will be good to have a second home base.
Today will be an easier day with just one meeting. Will my spouse and I meet at the Spartanburg house to get work done or will that wait for next week? Stay tuned.
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