Back to Work

First day back at work yesterday. I've been teaching for thirteen years now and yet every time I step into the classroom for the first time I am still nervous. Possibly I am less nervous than in 1993, but not that much less. None the less, no one bit me, threw anything at me, or attempted to kidnap me and make me the victim of a Satanic cult, so I consider it a good first day all round. That is in fact a misleading statement. The students at our university are almost uniformly, and unaccountably, nice. Still, the first-years took a little warming up (they're a tough -- read frightened -- crowd), but they came round eventually and actually laughed a little. That is my litmus test of success. If I can make them laugh in the first half-hour, things will be all right. My upper year Shakespeare class were, strangely, a harder sell in some ways, despite the fact that I knew about 20% of them already. I may have to encourage them to bring their lunch in case I'm getting them while they are grumpy with low blood sugar. They came round too, eventually, but were generally a quiet bunch. I could hear my voice speeding up, and noticed I was saying "um" too much, stumbling over my words a little. But the day when I'm not nervous in a class is probably the day I should hang up my teaching shoes.

All in all, I think I was very glad to be back at work after a summer loafing around. I had a spring in my step and a sense of purpose. Plus: I fell into bed at 10:00 and slept like the dead. Insomnia's over!