Potential Opportunity

The timing and scheduling of how my Summer course runs is quite a bit different from the usual Fall and Spring semesters.  In my Summer class, for the several decades I have taught this course in Summer, the course is a continual, all-day affair on two days a week.  Basically, I hit the door of the classroom laboratory at 7:55am, and teach labs or lectures continuously for the next 10 hours.... with only two 15-minute breaks (in which this brief writing is one).  As I have gotten older, I find that I need to be cognizant of my pacing, so as to not become overly tired.  I still work to teach demonstratively and with gusto.... stomping about the classroom, and weaving big, boisterous analogies throughout my lectures, but I do so with a more careful plan so as to not be fully exhausted until the end of the day.    

 During the first 20 years of my time at the U, in Summer, I even added another course onto one of the days, so that I literally taught non-stop on that day for 14 continuous hours (with a total of 3 15-minute breaks) and 10 continuous hours on the other day.  The extra course was a graduate course for science teachers, and the U decided due to a period of declining enrollment (during a period when K-12 teacher jobs  for graduates were rather scarce) to cancel this graduate program.  K-12 Teaching Major job prospects are very undulating.... and I have seen them undulate from having a huge need/demand for new graduates to tremendous lows where our region has few if any jobs for new graduates.  And, this undulation has occurred several times over the many decades.  We are now in a period where there is again a HUGE demand for new teachers, and if our U had not been short sighted, we could now have a huge number of students again in that (now defunct, but excellent) graduate program.   

I hit the pavement to hoof out my 10 miles at 4:45am.  I got them all in before I headed to the U.

I am actually nervous to discuss it yet, BUT...  I *MIGHT*.... just *MAYBE* have an opportunity to have a damnably WONDERFUL pipe adventure coming up.... rather unexpectedly.  It is not a certainty yet, but.... the POTENTIAL of it had me filled with sheer glee and... if I had a tail like a puppy.... it would be wagging vigorously in utter excitement.  I am keeping my fingers crossed!  I may know more very, very soon!  

PipeTobacco