Thread by @WModes

Live tweeting my first day back at school. Wake up at 6 AM to get to my 8 AM first class. #HigherEd #firstDayOfSchool #Adjunctlife

It’s been a year and five months since I was in an actual classroom. It feels like about three years.

I realize as I sent out this morning that I have first day of school jitters, a kind of agoraphobia that has developed over so many months of lockdown.

Traffic is light on my first day back to in person work. The hour commute reminds me of the importance of podcasts to surviving this drive.

Also, the commute reminds me of how much time I used to have alone before we spent every minute of the day at home.

Arriving about 40 minutes before my first class, it is a totally open question whether my faculty card will work to open the doors of the building. Did they reassign my office? Will the new hybrid teaching equipment be functional?

My class is allegedly 100% in-person, but requests have already started rolling in from students who can’t make it to in-person classes for one reason or another. Like it or not, hybrid teaching it is, I guess.

Arrived. Fucking forgot my wallet so I can’t get into the building even if my card did work. Grrrr. Note to self: when leaving home, bring ID and shit.

Another teacher let me in the building. But apparently they changed the locks on my office door. Thanks for telling me.

No office means I get to carry my lunch and my baggage around with me to two more classes before I get a break.

Students have already begun talking to me a little too close. So I had to take a couple steps back. I am totally not ready to face people IRL.

All new technology to figure out. I have about 15 minutes before class starts. Zoom board, new media setup, missing cables and connectors and a room filling up with anxious students,

First class down. Started with a good bit of techno fumble. Tried to make sure the entire class was on zoom, but forgot to unpause the recording, so there is no record of that first class for those who couldn’t make it. Bummer.

I am a pretty dynamic teacher who walks back-and-forth and strolls into the center of the room, etc. Teaching with a mask feels like jogging with a bag over my head. I am constantly out of breath and sweating like a fucking pig.

No break, and my second class is on. Another group of 25 eager and anxious students. Feeling less dread now.

My second class is a third year class, so I’ve had all of these students before. We know each other pretty well by this point. However, many had never been in the same room with me or with the other students. Only little boxes on the screen.

It is a smaller class among people with whom I had some trust, so I felt more at ease. Good thing too, because this is the class for which I was least prepared.

I used to teach this class for a couple years and had refined the material quite a bit. Then it was taken away by tenured faculty for a year. So I got it back this term but didn’t know if I should revert to my previous class or include the material from the new prof.

I tried to use his material, but never quite got a handle on it. At the last minute I reverted to my old class and I’m slowly incorporating some of his ideas into the new class.

Finished 2nd class nearly an hour early to the delight of the students. Spent 15 min after class talking to student about Burning Man. They wanted to know what it was like. Hearing that consent was emphasized and that there were queer camps, they were excited to go next time.

Now I have about two hours to find some food and maybe get my office key from the very distant locksmith shop across this sprawling campus. Assuming that some student didn’t grab one of my office hours slots torpedoing an outing.

No one has claimed any of my office hours slots yet on this, the first day of school. I am tempted to close them so I have a few moments alone. I can always say they were grabbed by other students.

I forgot that my partner made me a little lunch I can reheat. Woo! There are no stores or restaurants anywhere near campus. There’s a dining hall (semi-decent food) and a quick food place (as expected) here. For a taco or a sandwich, I’d have to visit the nearby town.

One student caught me in the hall as I was trying to escape. Asking me about the homework which won’t be due for a week and the project which won’t even be assigned for three more weeks. Anxious!

Caught a moment to catch a bite to eat with my colleague and officemate. able to shoot the shit and dish dirt for a little while felt nice. Also taco from the Mexican market.

Off to my third class of the day. Some of these students I have likely had before. Maybe a mix of new and old students. Pretty well prepped for this one

Turns out my third class was pretty laid-back with some of my favorite students. Spirits were pretty high despite the weirdness of in person school during a global pandemic.

I realized with horror that some of the students in this class were also in my second class. It’s my dark secret that my orientation lectures for those two classes are very similar.

I can only hope that the rerun lecture felt comfortingly familiar like watching Raiders of the Lost Ark for the 20th time, rather than that one irritating clip show rerun of Friends.

In any case, my students were gracious and I think it’s going to be a good term. I was exhausted but rallied in time for class.

And now for me, school is over and I am ready to GTFO. Another hour long commute home, but I think a stop for a reward Slurpee is warranted.

I get there only to remember I FORGOT MY WALLET. Damn, no Slurpee for me

Maybe there’s some change in my backpack? In my glove compartment? Oh hai! My old checkbook. I haven’t written a check in years. I’m going to feel like the Dude writing a check for $1.29 for a Slurpee. Does anyone still take checks?

Guy at the 7-Eleven counter: “You go get yoself a damn Slurpee. A big one.” YES!!!

If you want an unrolled version of this… threadreaderapp.com/thread/1429813…