The department "retreat" (the term they use around here for a long meeting) is the signal that preparations had better be in earnest, because classes start soon. I always look forward to setting foot in the classroom again--it's one of the places I can truly lose myself in what I'm doing (along with the bike). I feel my energy level, my attention, my mental focus, changing from its summer slumber to something a bit sharper. Maybe.
We had plenty of discussions today about certain things we need to pay attention to, and one of those things is the dreaded grade inflation. It somehow morphed into a discussion of the Major Field Test, which our English majors evidently routinely whiff on. One of the suggestions is that we devote more time to basic factual knowledge about periods, genres, etc. The other suggestion is that we use more multiple-choice testing. I'm a baaaad faculty member, because I hate being told what to do in my class. I also hate meetings that turn into group therapy.
Just a few days of preparation left. . . thinking about ways to change what I do.
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