Back to school

The fall semester is back with a vengeance.   Classes started on Monday for it seems like every school in town, including the university where I work and the community college where K works.    We’ve both been very busy, him trying to get into a new routine and me just trying to keep up with everything. 

K has 3 classes this semester, after taking on an extra one since he thought his second class wouldn’t make since it had low enrollment, he now has 3 maxed out classes, giving him a total of 96 students…good thing he likes grading...  

One of his classes is an 8 am class, so he actually leaves the house before I do.  This week we’ve been getting used to the new routine.   I love getting to see him awake before we both head off to work!
 
Leading up to the new year, Beloit College puts out a ‘mindset’ list each fall.   I love reading it to see what differences there are for the students starting college each year.  This year's class includes my cousin.  It was started to help professors know their audience when they put together lectures.  For example, one of my profs used the gas shortages in the late 70s as an example for something, I said we didn’t remember them because we were babies or not even born (Delena, remember?) I don't remember what he was trying to explain to us, but remember that his 'remember when' didn't ring true to me.


Even a few years can make a difference - I've seen that with Kevin and I being only 3 1/2 years apart in age - so a generation or more can be an entirely different world.

Kevin had his realization of how he and his students have different mindsets in his last week of his summer class..   He was talking about 9/11 and one of his students said she was in FIRST grade!   We’re not that far off from students not being old enough when it happened to remember it at all, and already they don't remember a world before it.

My favorite from this year's list: #55 Mr. Burns has replaced J.R.Ewing as the most shot-at man on American television.  


Completely unrelated, but in cooking we've made a discovery that I doesn't know why it took us so long to make - breakfast for dinner, or as K calls it 'brinner'.    We don't have time most mornings to make much for breakfast and when we do have time sometimes I'm just too hungry or don't feel like it.  But breakfast for dinner makes an easy weeknight meal.  We had it tonight!