Señora Cummins' Reflections

 It's important to take time to reflect.  Fall 2020 is starting off with quite a bang.  The week before class began I was told that due to social distancing I needed to divide my hybrid class into 2 groups.  I considered making my lectures available via Zoom so both groups could "attend" the classes, but a colleague wisely pointed out that Zoom might not be able to handle it if all classes were offered that way.   He was very wise--Zoom crashed the first day of classes and I'm so glad I went a low tech option instead.  I chose to essentially make this class a 75% online and 25% face to face class but I'm being very careful not to overassign lots of work.  I'm also promising that their time with me will be the very best it can be. I'm backing up my class slide shows.  I hadn't thought to do this in the past, but I'm making a point to do it.  I have all my slide shows on a flash drive and if I lose it so much work would be gone. I'm making...

I have a temper.  I can fly off the handle very quickly.  I've read before that when under stress different personality types "lean" a certain way.  Some withdraw and others, like me, attack.  Being one who is prone to attack mode is difficult in polite society. As I write this, classes will begin tomorrow.  I had everything completely set and ready to go for my online sections a week ago.  I could rest easy knowing I had everything done.  Well, somehow the gremlins that I'm convinced live in computers have messed my sections up in Canvas and all is not ready for tomorrow.  Boo.  Our tech people are on it, but I'm nervous.  I don't like things pending and I want them fixed 2 minutes ago. Hurricane Laura is an actual thing, possibly making a huge storm.  We joked in our family that with classes about to start I'm also Hurricane Laura, ready to blow up with very little provocation. This time is so hard on so many levels.  I'm wor...

I have taught Spanish 2311 once.  Last August I found out the full-time Spanish instructor position was available and at first I wasn't sure I wanted to apply.  My husband worked full-time and I enjoyed the flexibility of being an adjunct.  However, right around the time that the position came open my husband chose to leave his job and work from home as a writer.  All of a sudden the realization hit me that if I were full-time I could provide benefits for my family so my husband wouldn't have the stress to continue doing it.  Happily, I got the job. My position was finalized the day before class began.  I had already built an online 1411 and had taught face to face 1411 many times previously as an adjunct so that wasn't such a big deal.  2311 was another story.   The outgoing instructor had left a syllabus but that was all.  I didn't even have the textbook that the syllabus indicated.  I went to the bookstore and the few copies they...