Rhythm of the Fall Semester

I've been teaching for over 20 years now and have slowly come to recognize the rhythm of the fall semester. Spring has its own feel, but the fall semester seems to follow a very predictable pattern.

The early weeks are full of excitement and energy. Everyone, students and faculty, are happy to be back in the classroom.....really. The material introduced in the first few weeks is often the material we know best, the background, the introduction, the motivation. It is easy to be enthusiastic in class.

After a few weeks we all fall into our routines. We remember what days we are teaching, when we need to set aside time to prepare or grade. We start to attend committee meetings. Things are not so exciting, but we are comfortable with the progress.

But slowly the pressure builds. We move towards midterms. The weather deteriorates. Each fall we seem to hit a wall about the third week of October. Depression sets in. How much longer do I have to do this?? Faculty are tired of their classes, students are tired of the work. Everyone feels overwhelmed and overburdened. We can't seem to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

This followed by a few frantic weeks in November. Instead of depression there is a sense of dread. Committees are sensing the end of the semester and want to finish their work. Classes are in the middle of the hardest material. Students now know exactly where they stand in class and are worried. I'm not sure which is worse, the October depression or the November dread.

The pace quickens as Thanksgiving nears. People want to finish the semester before the break, but there is at least the hopeful promise of a four day vacation before the final push. We come back from Thanksgiving refreshed and with the end in sight. Although there is a lot to do, it feels manageable.

The first few weeks of December are spent finishing up. For faculty this is an easier time than for students, I suspect. Although our penance comes the next week while we are grading. But, grading in front of a fire with Christmas music is more tolerable than the May grading when the sun is shining and the promise of summer lies ahead.

Right now we are in the Dread Days of the fall. Everyone is tense and on edge. Thanksgiving looks far away. But it will come, it always does.