Summertime in the Classroom

Above is first slide I put up on the overhead projector when I teach summer classes. I tell the students that the next four weeks will feel like a speeding train - they get kinda upset, but they're upperclassman so they know I'm telling the truth. I don't know who's got the worst deal in this madness we call summer school. I've been enrolled in summer classes as a student many times and know it's really hard to keep up, do well, and have some kind of break. Throw in taking care of family and maybe working a job and you've got a real case of overdo. Here we have two summer sections - I'm teaching both. As a professor, I guarantee you it's just as hard. I literally teach a week of regular semester class in one (three hour) class day --- science means having labs, so we do those too. And the grading. Oh, then there are regular work meetings and grants to work on and writing proposals and...you get the picture. It's really exhausting. We're getting kinda grumpy because next week is the last week -- and then we start another four week session the following week. A grumpy Dr. Mac and lots of grumpy students --- hang on. We're almost there! Keep up the great work!!!