Last paper graded, and mid-semester grades in, a solid 51 minutes before the deadline. Go, me. What I really want to do is thank the student whose paper I happened to read last, because it was a truly lovely piece, and instead of critique, I got to write suggestions about how she might develop it further, should she decide to go on with upper-level or graduate classes in lit.
That’s a rare treat, when you’re teaching a 100-level class, where so often, your students are trying to manage challenges with basic English while also learning essay structure, struggling to understand the readings (often in archaic or academic prose), and figuring out how to convey their arguments clearly. Reading their papers and trying to decide what is the next best thing to ask them to work on can be challenging. Rewarding, but challenging.
This was a lovely, relaxed way to end the night. 