End of the Semester
To be honest... Fall 2021 might well have been the toughest semester of all for me. After a semester interrupted by the sudden closing of the planet due to the pandemic followed by a full academic year teaching remotely with all courses online, I thought the return to the classroom in September would be easier. I was wrong. Being on campus for the first few days was nerve-racking as I navigated the doorways, stairways, and hallways in fear, not knowing who among the students and staff were vaccinated, and vigilantly policing the mask mandate: "Please cover your nose... pull up your mask...go get your mask from your car..." After some time, I adjusted to it, but I never felt fully comfortable, and even attending meetings and hosting office hours online instead of in-person did not diminish the nagging feeling that I just did not want to be there. I just wanted to teach and then return to the safety of my home. I began to wonder whether this feeling might be the new normal for