Sophomore year

Hugged immoderately, embarrassed repeatedly, loved immensely, and all moved in for the year (on his Boss Day, no less).

We'll all miss him but Nu and Scout on a visceral level. (Huckie bear don't care.)










_

Just One on Day One

They called a high of 90, but the first day of school required a blazer.

#LittleProfessional #SeriousScholar












_

Before the Fall

_

Bits and Bobs

Last class for this academic year, and our class went downtown to the new frozen custard place. I like joking that it's the closest thing we have to a Sri Lankan restaurant in Alma because its name is Serendipity.

On our way back we bumped into the sweetest, cutest, eight-week old puppy. His name is Yogi. LOOK AT THAT FACE! JUST LOOK! Yogi is a very good boy and trots along happily except when he's turning around to look for all the new friends who give him pets.

Full admission: I saw Yogi for the first time yesterday when I was turning into the parking lot at school, and I totally rolled down my window and screamed, "so cute, SO CUTE!!" I guess I'm practically a TLC song now.

_

Honors' Day

I had five students present research this Honors' Day.

Also, today, AC (class of 2015) came to visit, and gave me this:

I love students.

_

Spring Break "travel"

Nu's spring break doesn't coincide with ours, 

and the poor love has had a tame week of it.

She's been to Ann Arbor with Big A 

and tagged along to Alma with me

The highlight was having lunch

with her big sib two days in a row...

Here they are "being so cute" by 

not letting me take their picture.

_

Symposium #4

I am amazed and charmed by what my students get up to every year.

(We were a bit bummed that we were assigned the lobby,

but then, the traffic turned out to be way better.)

_

"Last Dance with Gorgeous George"

KB's title when she posted this to FB.

I'm lucky to have colleague-friends who crack me up.

And the original.

(My student had dropped her project mannequin off in KB's office 

as I was in class. I was moving him to my office, but I didn't realize 

that his pants were falling off and thus making me look extra perv.)

_

Spring Term and the Loving is Easy

Scout came to class today

there was so much love

(from and for)

this baby.

_

It's Kind of Silly, Really

How 

I end up 

loving every class.

Potter Park Zoo 

and then

I made them lunch

_

Sari/Not Sorry

At work

'cos I read this

and it made me mad.

_

Boozy Poppies

What you might do when
the kids are at school
and you and your work
friends are on break.

Just before I drank from the Solo cup
that held the paint-water
instead of from the Solo cup
that held the pinot.

_

Together @ Sister Solidarity March, Lansing

I thought At's poster was a bit... leaky, 

but he got so many compliments on it.

Not to be too sappy about it,

but I love my students.

_

Gender Diaries

TL; DR

I ask: Have you wondered...

Student replies: not before this class.

_

I'm so Cheesy

While talking to a student
whose thesis work is
a term late

I encourage her
to make it better,
to tweak her game-

-it's a home run!
you're in the home stretch!
(She's one of our softball players.)


*

The Odds...

What I wanted to say

when 

the student disputing 

their course grade

realized 

that I did everything 

ethically possible to help.

_

Standing room only

As we speak up for Flint.

_

The Beginning of the Alma Season...

Her family makes these ornaments,

and the awesome student 

(whom I've never had in class)

gave me one.

Aw!

I turned into an embarrassing 

blabbering mess of gratitude.

Gah.

_

So Much Finals Craziness...

But as one of my students who colors for relaxation, reminds me:




I appreciate how Rosie is especially BROWN in my honor :).

_

Meet the Parents

Student event this evening, and the stories they've shared hang around my interactions with their families.

The man with the twinkly eyes lost a child to cancer.

The woman so proud of her daughter's accomplishments is herself a daughter struggling to help her elderly mother stay independent.

 So awed by how wonderful and brave people are.

_