Final Exams

 It's been hard teaching during the pandemic for a number of reasons, one of which is that many students have asked for more leeway about deadlines, etc. It takes a good deal more work not to lose track of assignments for students that send them via different channels, etc.

What's worse is the number of students who have been violating the honor code. It is difficult if not impossible to prevent cheating on online exams.

A number of students this term have decided to email me their online exams hours after the deadline. I don't understand their reasoning in taking more time than their colleagues took for exams and expecting to be rewarded for this. During the term I have given 0's but offered make-up exams. Now in final exam period when I have fewer options I have had to pro-rate a three-hour exam that was taken over a five-hour period without my consent.

It is always a goal of mine to end the semester respecting all of my students, including those for whom my course is not important. I have not been able to this term.

Wrapping Up the Academic Year

I've taught my last new class in two of my sections and will teach the last class in my third next week. Then final exams. I'll have a brief period of freedom before my surgery, can't see far enough ahead to see how to spend that time. 

Fatigue

Around this time every academic year I along with most of the people around me are fatigued. This is aside from how much sleep we get any particular day. It's cumulative over the academic year. The insidious part is that it's hard to articulate fatigue when you're fatigued.

Last Stretch

Everyone and I do mean everyone around me is looking dead-tired as we move into the last half of the Spring semester.  For me the fatigue shows up in confusing students with similar names, making typos on dates for posting course materials, etc. So far no car crashes for which I'm grateful.

Knee Replacement, Part II

I now have an appointment for having my knee replaced as well as all the other related office visits.  I do need to keep my blood sugar low in order to have the surgery, so I have been fasting a bit.

I get depressed very easily when my blood sugar is low. It hits in waves, where I just want to weep with no particular trigger.  It is one of the reasons I suspect that my blood sugar has been above the norm if not incredibly high.

Catching Up

I often feel very behind. Sometimes that feeling is accurate; often it is because I am not as far ahead as I would like to be.

Once or twice a semester I have a moment where all of the important things are done and there is a brief respite before other major tasks begin.  I felt that kind of respite yesterday.

I know that my stress is self-induced. It isn't very often that I give myself a break.

Vaccination

 I had hoped to get vaccinated earlier in the year, then expected it later, but the changing state priorities finally included me and my cohort and I received my first (Moderna) COVID vaccination a week ago.

My arm was sore but about par for a vaccination; I had no fever nor any other side effects, which is a blessing.  I have my quality-of-life illnesses but I don't seem to get hit with flu or cold stuff very often.

Our live-at-home adult child will have to wait a while to be vaccinated, so even after my wife and I are vaccinated we will need to be careful not to pop our COVID bubble until all of us are set.