rhythms and rhymes
An academic year has a rhythm to it, different business in different weeks and months. At present, we have finished week 9 of 11 in our first term of three, and tomorrow is the first day of week 10.
One thing I’ve learned over the years is that there are in fact many rhythms, many songs sung in any given year, and the songs we sing and the songs we hear depend on how deeply we are embedded in different aspects of the university’s business.
At the present time, my main focus is the student facing education focused part of the business. Students are turning in work and scheduling the work that remains, and everyone is flagging a bit. In my own class, we have covered essentially all of the material the students will need, and so soon we’ll be moving to last few Topics of Additional Interest.
But there are so many chords and voices in this rhythmic paean. Parking spaces closed to allow for leaves to be gathered and bundled. Christmas lights being turned on amidst feed stalls and festive games. Late darkness to start days and early darkness to end them.
I love wandering around campus, listening to this paean as the university and all of us who work there sing, each with our own part and each of us adding our voice to the overall song.
Tomorrow, I’ll get in early, as I am wont to do, and I’ll enjoy the song of the slowly emptying campus, as we get close to the break at the end of the calendar year, and I’ll give some time to those things that need to be done before we get to that point.
multijimbo 