One great thing about teaching at college is the long winter break. Gives you more time for grandkids! I kept three of ours on Monday and Tuesday with a Monday night sleepover. We had a blast, but I kept feeling like it was Friday night once they went home - wonder why?
I am completely taken by all my grandkids: they are bright, beautiful and completely lovable even when they are annoying, self-centered or loud. If you have grandchildren, I am sure that you know what I mean.
I even like them when I know that they are manipulating me. One of them always will tell me, "You're the best Pops" when I do something she likes. When I start getting a lot of those comments, I always take it as a bad sign. I am probably creating problems for her parents.
I love talking with them, hearing their inner thoughts. One of them told me that she likes salt, that she put lots of salt - too much salt - on her chips, and her parents will tell her not to do that. She said that she replies, "Well, what makes you think that you can tell me how much salt to use?" - but she only says that "in her head, because that would be mean, and they might give me a spanking."
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
First Full Semester
It's been a while. I thought that it could happen - so much reading and writing to do for my classes, I would have to stop writing regularly in this blog about our new start. But now I am looking at an extended break and it feels good.
I ended up teaching four classes, two at Texas A&M-Commerce (freshman comp) and two at Richland (ESOL Reading and Listening/Speaking). I ended up only taking two classes, General Linguistics and Teaching College Writing. I am disappointed that I did not do at least 9 hours, but at a certain point early in the semester, I became convinced that it would not be a good decision to continue to take three classes. Just not enough hours in the day. What made it difficult was that I was teaching three preps, each one new to me. Next semester, I think that the time demands for teaching will not be as great and I will be able to complete 9 hours: I will only have two preps, I will have a few weeks to prepare for my classes (unlike last semester when I was given the job days before classes began), I have taught one of the classes before, and I have a better feel for what it is like to teach writing to college freshmen. (Am I trying to convince myself?)
Denise, as is her nature, has been hugely supportive, never complaining about how often I am gone. And when I am here, I'm not. I am sitting in my chair or at the kitchen table reading, writing, studying and preparing for classes. When she fell in love with me and agreed to marry me, did she realize what a bad deal that she was getting herself into?
I ended up teaching four classes, two at Texas A&M-Commerce (freshman comp) and two at Richland (ESOL Reading and Listening/Speaking). I ended up only taking two classes, General Linguistics and Teaching College Writing. I am disappointed that I did not do at least 9 hours, but at a certain point early in the semester, I became convinced that it would not be a good decision to continue to take three classes. Just not enough hours in the day. What made it difficult was that I was teaching three preps, each one new to me. Next semester, I think that the time demands for teaching will not be as great and I will be able to complete 9 hours: I will only have two preps, I will have a few weeks to prepare for my classes (unlike last semester when I was given the job days before classes began), I have taught one of the classes before, and I have a better feel for what it is like to teach writing to college freshmen. (Am I trying to convince myself?)
Denise, as is her nature, has been hugely supportive, never complaining about how often I am gone. And when I am here, I'm not. I am sitting in my chair or at the kitchen table reading, writing, studying and preparing for classes. When she fell in love with me and agreed to marry me, did she realize what a bad deal that she was getting herself into?
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