Teaching and Arsenal

What do they have to do with one another? I really like them both. I got the dread evaluations (last quarter's) back yesterday. The worst class average was a 4.34 on a scale of 1 to 5. I am beaming quietly. One actually had a comment that said I should get tenure! Chance would be a fine thing -- I don't even have a TT job! Still, it's nice to be liked. Truth be told (ah, the clichés are flowing today), I was very lucky. I had classes full of people who were bright, likeable, and willing to participate, even when they didn't always do the work. It's easy to teach people who want to learn, and it's very hard not to benefit from all that positive energy. This quarter seems to be going the same way -- I have students who are working ahead on our discussion boards, and someone commented today that I put things into context really well. Imagine! even better -- this is not and April Fool's joke.

So, I'm off for a day or two, but hope to blog a bit about the conference. The toughest part is that I will have to record the big game. this is not good. Not quite as bad as my sister scheduling her wedding for the same weekend as the World Cup Semi-Finals, but almost. Not sure why we should be that concerned, though. Edu's doing well, and there's a very solid midfield without Gilberto. Cole is a loss, but frankly, I'd just as soon he didn't play against United, since they bring out the thug in him more than most. Besides, Clichy seems to be doing rather well. As for Cygan, I admit Wenger might have made a good buy, but he's not really up to the quality of the rest of the team. Still, if Campbell's groin injury flares up, things could go pear-shaped.

Shoot -- If there weren't going to be a morning panel on teaching medieval Islam, I'd stay home and watch the game.