go find yo mind!

***

Hey all! Sorry for the long silence...I've been trying to get a handle on things. So much to share with you! Last week, I was in St. Louis for this professional conference, which was fun and interesting. However, I feel like my life/schedule/brain has been thrown off-kilter by that chunk of traveling. As I slowly attack the pile of projects I have to grade, I'm also trying to get back in the swing of my own personal writing and blogging--so, I hope to see more of you all here, soon:). Hope this post finds you all well, and with at least some idea of where your brain is!

Semester Transition

Ah, semester transitions can be so complicated! If you've ever been on a college campus during this time, you know the feeling: excitement, a bit of stress, and a general *sigh* of relief.

As I get ready for the Spring semester to start, the weather here in the Mitten is mirroring my mood. It is tempestuous, shifting. Sometimes sunny and cheerful, sometimes chilly and brooding. I'm preparing for my second-to-last semester of teaching writing at my current university; my feelings and thoughts are jumbled. But, in the midst of all the bittersweet-nervous-excited-kind-of-sad emotions, here is some fun teaching stuff I've been into lately:

Kicking off the Spring semester with some cool professional development

breaking out of "grading jail"

The Five Stages of Grading

hilarious onion article about student evaluations

What about you? Do you have a mixed emotions about transitions (semester or otherwise)? What are your experiences with teachers and grading--either as a teacher yourself or as a student?