Final grades were due today by 6 p.m. Though I have been grading non-stop since Thanksgiving, and until 2:30 this morning, I still had one class to go. I submitted them at 5 p.m.! It is always like this for me, usually because I insist on giving assignments where students must demonstrate the ability to write, to think critically, and to apply information to the practice of social work. Someday when I need social work services, I want to think my social worker can communicate orally and in writing, knows how to apply knowledge to the case I might bring her, and cares enough about social work to base her work on valid knowledge that is acquired by reading and study. Is that too much to want? That always means a lot of complex assignments, that take time (and a detailed rubric) to grade. I was breathing a sigh of relief when I hit the submit button just as the clock tower chimed 5.As I headed to the car, the slight mist was gently blowing into my face, and the pleasant 61 degree evening was the first time in days it has not been cold and raining. The sky was darkening, the campus was deserted, and the bell chimes in the tower began the 5 o'clock ritual: tonight, Christmas hymns. Now I am pretty much the Bah Humbug of Christmas, but it was still a moment of pleasure in what has been a very hard semester.
A reminder, that in this world that is falling apart at the seams, I am blessed.
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