that time of the year, again...

Even at my daughter's Tennis class, 

a professor's work is never done...

"But I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep."

- Robert Frost

Bonjour mes lovelies,

I'm nearing the end of another semester - filled with term paper reading, correcting, and final grade tabulating. It leaves me no time for blogging. Thank goodness you are understanding and forgiving. Unfortunately, the prospects for professors in the States continue to become increasingly dire. Tenure is officially a relic of the past. Salaries, benefits - even an office space - are, I suspect, now and forever out of reach. Thus, I have decided to only teach one class per semester, while continuing to hammer out a new more promising, and infinitely more satisfying, career. You may ask: 'Temple why do you stay at all'? It's a question I often ask myself until nights like tonight, when I read term papers so good, they inspire me to hop into my T.A.R.D.I.S....

Did you know that the hymn Amazing Grace is an anti-slavery song written by an enslaver turned abolitionist? Or that Mexico was a silent member of the Allied Forces of WWII? Or that nearly 2.5 million Mexicans (and Puerto Ricans) immigrated to the U.S. specifically to join our Air Force, Army an work in agriculture at the behest of President Roosevelt? Yeah, I didn't either. Another of my students wrote a history of the Holocaust using no dates, battles, or treaties as rubrics, only the first hand accounts of survivors - and it's freaking amazing! Do you have any idea how hard that is to do? I just finished reading a student's bio of Voltaire that is so fresh and innovative, so excellently researched and written, I'm going to use it as a directed reading for future classes.

My kids are finding their voices and it's a wonderful thing to experience. My only regret is that this semester will be over in two weeks :-{ We didn't have enough time. We needed more time. But most of them have enrolled in my 'Part Two' of this class next fall and I can't wait. It's at moments like this I'm reminded why I love teaching so, in spite of it all.

But the soon approaching end of my 'professor-semester' also means that, in a few days, I'll have the rest of Spring and the entire Summer to 100% focus on you and my other soul replenishing/soul satisfying pursuits. 

Posts in the works: 

- the Adventures of a Personal Concierge (Postcard to Paris)

- Vieux Montreal (Paris Inspired) 

- Sounds of Summer Soundtrack (Paris Playlist) 

Vivre! Rire! Aimer!

Temple

Here I come!
You ready?