Underway

I moved to a new office this summer, so this is the first term I've been here, the first term I've heard the buzz of sounds from this part of the department.

Overall, I'm pleased; there's less noise in general. The voices I hear, my colleagues talking to students or each other, students talking in the halls, sound right, in place, interested. Teaching is once again in full progress, steaming forward, and the sounds bring me contentment and joy.

But I also feel a little more lost than I expected when I moved from my office right across from the main department office, a little less in touch with the departmental staff. I've wandered down there, but it's not the same as being across the hall a good part of most weekdays.

I came in yesterday afternoon to finish prepping (teaching two new classes will keep me hopping this term), and stayed til well into evening, and felt at home in my office. One of my colleagues was also in, in the next office, and we chatted occasionally, on and off, sharing news, a joke, friendly without invasiveness.

The student I'd talked to last year about mentoring my special program class came by today, and we figured things out, got her signed up. I'm happy to see her. She's going to be a great mentor, someone who can really inspire the first year students to approach their education more thoughtfully.

One of my colleagues from another department gave a guest talk in one of my classes this morning. She was wonderful, insightful, and did a great job for us setting up some issues from a point of view that will be very helpful as we progress.

While I'm not looking forward to cold weather and winter, I'm grateful to be here, grateful for my colleagues and students, grateful for the administrative staff.