Put last semester behind me for good

moved on. What is more, I think I have put this (spring) semester to rest as well.

I got that grade in. It was ridiculous. I’m starting to get over the fear that I know nothing, that everything that goes wrong with anything having to do with my classes is all my incompetent fault and that everyone will be mad at me when they discover the truth. Most people have feelings like this occasionally; the trick, of course, is to force yourself to confront them. Then, of course, many things are in fact not your fault or due to your incompetence, or even that big a deal.

I gave her a C-.

I finally dealt with the thing that has been bugging me the most, that is, I talked to the registrar about the student that I mistakenly failed last semester because I was missing her exam because I had two students with the same name. She was totally cool about it and told me it was no big deal and I could get it to her tomorrow. I really am done with this semester. Grading was much easier this term, no doubt because there were just a lot fewer assignments and fewer students as well.

Next year there will only be 40 incoming undergrads, which is great news for me, since it likely means that the load for the survey will be less. But I am very sure that I will be in a far better position next fall than this past one in regards to just about everything. I know the systems I’m working with, I know the students and the range they represent, I know my materials better etc. It is hard to imagine that next fall won’t be just miles better.

This is so close and yet still seems far. This could happen this week!

And what about this semester? Can I get through it without giving out any incompletes???

When I leave town I don’t want ANYTHING hanging over my head!

I just did something that I really didn’t want to face, which was contact a student that I may have mistakenly flunked. It may be a complete mess, but I don’t want a possible mistake of mine to adversely affect her. It’s embarrassing, but better to bite the bullet. This is one of, if not the main thing I’ve been trying not to think about in regards to last fall.

I got the incomplete grades in. But I still don’t feel that this is done. It won’t really be done until I feel that I have:

1. made a definitive excel grading doc
2. organized all my course materials in folders from last term
3. finished writing comments on papers and returning all of them (because lord knows I don’t want them. Well, some of them I want copies for myself. I actually did get a few pretty good ones.)

today I give the last 207 makeup exam. I’ll put comments on the remaining essays, comparing final marks on them with the final grades. Then I’ll log all of the finals, first correcting the two makeups. Then I’ll reconstruct the grade document.

As for the grad papers, they’d better get in pretty soon. Grades are due Friday at 5:00 I think.

Then all that will be left is to finish the comments on the other grad papers and get them back.

I hope next Monday I can say that this is done! I am so ready . . .

If I can get everything logged, that would help a lot. And if all of those incompletes would turn their papers in, that would also help. Of course, if they don’t I have carte blanche to flunk them.