Winter Vacation

Finally! The semester is over! I turned in my final grades and I am officially free. I can't wait until next weekend where my partner and I are heading to New York for vacation. I'm not flying to California to visit my folks this year. And considering the major blizzards and airport shutdowns, I am glad I didn't.

I just want to read books, write my chapter, and play video games. And I made some progress on my chapter researching the Virginia v. Black (2003) case. Funny how I can make some headway when I don't have a major obligation like teaching.

In general, I love my students and they've been great. Though they need to stop using Google and Wikipedia as their sources. They need to go to the library and read a book. I wonder if any of them had ever picked up a book. I've always enjoyed the tactile nature of being in a library and thumbing through a book's pages. The internet as a virtual library is wonderful, but it's not the same experience. They also need to be patient and allow the research to develop and evolve. A question does not have to have an immediate answer, but that it takes time to develop. It must be all that mocha frappucinoes they've been drinking.

At the same time, I need to rework my syllabus. I think I have to incorporate more writing assignments, quizzes, and the like. It was too easy a semester, but now that I have a better grasp of this course, I can shape it the way I want it. I also realize that my theme for the course could have been better organized. In some parts, it was just too random, without a certain coherence for students to follow, let alone an understanding of the stakes of democracy. I also really ought to challenge students more and don't let them off the hook so easily. They didn't get away with murder, but I certainly didn't do enough to push them or have them be accountable.

Anyways, I'm off to see the matinee showing of Happy Feet. Hooray!