Wednesday, April 01, 2015

A Tale of Two Semesters

http://puppies.about.com/od/BehaviorProblems/a/Tail-Wagging-How-To-Speak-Dog.htm
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, . . . . “ – Charles Dickens, Tale of Two Cities

Since the holidays, it has certainly seemed like the tale of two semesters for us at The Eighth Floor, both perfect and problematic all at once.  Between snow days and the flu and the coming of spring allergies and storms, we have managed to fit in a few classes unaffected disaster.

We have had more hurdles than usual.  There were several weeks when I was starting to wonder if we would ever get more than one or two days of classes going without having to reschedule everything. On top of the weather issues, we have worked around conferences, our own mini flu epidemic, weather – you get the idea.  Complication. Frustration. Life.

On the other side of that, however, are the teachers. It may be that every class I have taught this semester has been remarkable.  Not a clunker in the bunch!  No, I don’t mean because I am just that awesome – I mean the people coming to our classes are just THAT AWESOME.  I have met some great new teachers, new to us and/or new to teaching.  We also have a solid core of people who take every class we offer – love these people!  My classes have been full of educators who are ready to do the work.  Some of my very best classes have been a perfect reflection of what The Eighth Floor does best – bring together teachers, kindergarten through college, who listen to each other and help each other.
 
I may have worked harder at my job this semester, but I have appreciated it the most.

I am tightening up the summer schedule – just taking a little break with this blog post.  I am looking forward to another fast, furious, and fun summer.  And thanks, but I'll skip the "worst of times" next semester.


Hope to see you in class, soon!
Lee Anne